Department of Health and Social Care

Complex Regional Pain Syndrome

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps his Department has taken to improve the (a) diagnosis, (b) treatment and (c) awareness among medical professionals of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome in (i) Oxfordshire and (ii) England.

Steve Brine: To support clinicians in diagnosing and managing complex regional pain syndrome, guidance on the condition is available from a variety of authoritative professional sources. Advice from the Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases and a copy of the Royal College of Physicians guidance can be found at the following links: www.rcplondon.ac.uk/guidelines-policy/complex-regional-pain-syndrome-adults www.rnhrd.nhs.uk/page/79

Contraceptives

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish all data collected by his Department relating to waiting lists for contraceptive provision in (a) GP practices and (b) community sexual and reproductive health services.

Steve Brine: Data on waiting lists for contraceptive provision is not held centrally.

Contraceptives

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average spend per woman on prescribed contraceptive services is by (a) local authority, (b) clinical commissioning group and (c) parliamentary constituency.

Steve Brine: This information is not collected centrally.

Mental Health Services

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of the total (a) NHS England budget and (b) his Department's budget (i) has been spent on mental health services in each of the last five years, (ii) is planned be spent on mental health services in 2018-19 and (iii) is planned to be spent on mental health services in each year from 2019-20 to 2023-24.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Department’s budget is not spent directly on mental health services. The bulk of the Department’s budget is managed by NHS England, which is responsible for improving health and care outcomes for people in England. NHS England collates information on mental health expenditure for clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) and specialised commissioned services. Other areas of direct commissioning also provide mental health services, most notably general practitioners, but NHS England does not currently collect details of spend on mental health in these areas. NHS England’s mental health spend for 2016/17 and for 2017/18 are published in the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health dashboard, and the planned spend for 2018/19 is due to be published shortly. The dashboard also reports national CCG mental health spend as a percentage of overall CCG programme allocation. The following table shows specialised mental health spend and the total of CCG and specialised mental health spend as a percentage of CCG and specialised programme allocations for 2015/16, 2016/17 and 2017/18 using data from the mental health dashboard where relevant. The table also provides this information for 2013/14 and 2014/15, although this information is not included in the mental health dashboard. NHS England mental health spend, as a proportion of overall health spend 2013/14-2017/18 CCG mental health spendSpecialised mental health spendTotal CCG and specialised mental healthCCG and Specialised mental spend as a % of allocation £ million£ million£ million 2013/147,8191,7649,58312.2%2014/158,2891,79010,07912.4%2015/169,1481,83110,97913.0%2016/179,7231,87911,60213.3%2017/1810,0801,89611,97613.3% Source: NHS England The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health dashboard is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/mental-health-five-year-forward-view-dashboard/ For future years, the Government announced its long term financial settlement for the National Health Service in June. This will represent an increase of £20.5 billion in real terms by 2023/24. The Government has asked the National Health Service to develop a long-term plan which will set out a vision for the health service and ensure every penny is well spent, this will be published shortly.

Health Services

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the effect of changes in the level of welfare benefits on demand for NHS services.

Jackie Doyle-Price: No assessment has been made. We engage across Government to ensure that health policy and delivery needs are taken into account in and also respond to wider policy developments.

Pneumococcal Diseases: Vaccination

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 24 October to Question 180205 on Pneumococcal Diseases: Vaccination, whether his Department will make the modelling paper available to stakeholders ahead of (a) any decision on a change to the pneumococcal vaccination schedule and (b) ahead of its publication in a peer reviewed journal.

Steve Brine: The modelling prepared by Public Health England which supported the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation recommendation to move to a 1+1 schedule for Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine has been submitted for publication in a peer reviewed journal, and will be published in due course. There are no plans to share the paper with stakeholders ahead of publication.

Drugs: Cost Effectiveness

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 29 October 2018 to Question 181572 on Drugs: Cost Effectiveness, if he will place in the Library the 27 topics that have triggered the £20 million budget impact test.

Steve Brine: The information requested can be found in the following table. Topic TitleProgramme1Afamelanotide for treating erythropoietic protoporphyria [ID927]HST (highly specialised technology)2Niraparib for maintenance treatment of platinum-sensitive ovarian cancer after second response to chemotherapy [ID1041]TA (technology appraisal)3Lenalidomide for previously untreated multiple myeloma [ID474]TA4Dupilumab for treating moderate to severe atopic dermatitis after topical treatments [ID1048]TA5Pembrolizumab for untreated PD-L1 positive metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer (Cancer Drugs Fund Review of TA447) [ID1349]TA6Abiraterone for treating newly diagnosed metastatic hormone-naive prostate cancer [ID945]TA7Pertuzumab for adjuvant treatment of early HER2-positive breast cancer [ID1192]TA8Burosumab for treating X-linked hypophosphataemia [ID1151]HST9Axicabtagene ciloleucel for treating diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and primary mediastinal B-cell lymphoma after two or more systemic therapies [ID1115]TA10Ocrelizumab for treating primary progressive multiple sclerosis [ID938]TA11Daratumumab in combination with bortezomib for treating relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma [ID974]TA12Nusinersen for treating spinal muscular atrophy [ID1069]TA13Dabrafenib in combination with trametinib for adjuvant treatment of resected BRAF V600 positive malignant melanoma [ID1226]TA14Nivolumab for adjuvant treatment of resected stage III and IV melanoma [ID1316]TA15Olaparib for maintenance treatment of recurrent, platinum-sensitive ovarian, fallopian tube and peritoneal cancer that has responded to platinum-based chemotherapy (including a review of TA381) [ID1296]TA16Tisagenlecleucel for treating relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma after two or more systemic therapies [ID1166]TA17Abemaciclib with an aromatase inhibitor for untreated advanced hormone-receptor positive, HER2-negative breast cancer [ID1227]TA18Pembrolizumab for adjuvant treatment of melanoma with high risk of recurrence [ID1266]TA19Human alpha1-proteinase inhibitor for treating emphysema [ID856]HST20Pembrolizumab with pemetrexed and platinum chemotherapy for untreated metastatic non-squamous non-small-cell lung cancer [ID1173]TA21Nivolumab with ipilimumab for untreated metastatic renal cell carcinoma [ID1182]TA22Nivolumab with ipilimumab for untreated non-small-cell lung cancer that has a high tumour mutational burden [ID1187]TA23Patisiran for treating hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis [ID1279]HST24Atezolizumab in combination for treating advanced non-squamous non-small-cell lung cancer [ID1210]TA25Durvalumab for maintenance treatment of unresectable non-small-cell lung cancer after platinum-based chemoradiation [ID1175]New TA process26Osimertinib for untreated EGFR-positive non-small-cell lung cancer [ID1302]New TA process27Enzalutamide for treating non-metastatic hormone-relapsed prostate cancer [ID1359]TA

Depressive Illnesses

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of people (a) under 30, (b) between 30 and 60 and (c) over 60 and who are (i) male and (ii) female and have had depression and anxiety in each of the last five years.

Jackie Doyle-Price: This information is not available in the format requested.

Drugs: Counterfeit Manufacturing

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to tackle the provision and sale of fake medicines.

Jackie Doyle-Price: In the United Kingdom, strict regulatory controls govern the sale, supply, manufacture, distribution and advertising of medicinal products. Although no fatalities in the UK have been attributed to a falsified medicine sourced from the UK regulated supply chain, the potential threat to patient health is recognised and taken seriously across Government. No incidents of a falsified medicine reaching a patient through the regulated supply chain have been recorded since 2009. However, if such an incidence occurs, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has strategies in place to ensure immediate and proportionate action is taken, including a thorough investigation and withdrawal of the medicines from circulation. The majority of illegal activity involving medicines takes place online and MHRA efforts to tackle this are focussed both on the supply and demand. The MHRA has arrangements in place with Border Force to seize illegally imported medicines on entry into the UK and works with the Internet service industry to close websites operating outside of legal requirements.

Speech and Language Disorders: Children

Rebecca Pow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 25 July 2018 to Question 165670 on Speech and Language Disorders: Children, what steps Public Health England plans to take to draw on expertise from a speech, language and communications expert to inform its work on mental ill health prevention.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Public Health England (PHE) is working in partnership with the Department for Education as part of the Social Mobility Action Plan for Education, to improve early language acquisition and reduce the ‘word gap’. To support this work an Expert Advisory Group has been established. This group helps to shape and develop the work, providing insights and advice on latest research, policy imperatives and priority issues. This group comprises experts from a range of disciplines with expertise in speech and language. These experts can also inform the work on mental health prevention. PHE has established a Special Interest Group which aims to deliver the best applied evidence to public mental health improvement and reduction of inequalities in children and young people in England. The group has representation from research and academia, Government Departments, arm’s length bodies, local commissioners, public health professionals and young people.

Arthritis: Mental Health Services

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the NICE Guideline entitled Rheumatoid Arthritis in Adults: management, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that psychological interventions are routinely available and offered to people with rheumatoid arthritis who develop mental health conditions; and if he will make a statement.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Government recognises that long-term conditions, such as arthritis, can have an impact on a person’s mental wellbeing. The guideline ‘Rheumatoid arthritis in adults: management’, updated by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in 2018, sets out best practice in the diagnosis, treatment, care and support of people with rheumatoid arthritis. The guidance recommends that patients should be offered psychological interventions (for example, relaxation, stress management and cognitive coping skills to help them to adjust to living with their condition). NICE’s guidelines represent best practice, are based on the available evidence and developed through wide consultation. Although guidelines are not mandatory, when exercising their judgement, National Health Service organisations and clinicians are expected to take this guideline fully into account as best practice, alongside the individual needs, preferences and values of their patients. As set out in the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health, the expansion of Improving Access to Psychological Therapies services now under way has a focus on helping people with long term conditions, including conditions such as arthritis.

Multiple Sclerosis: Nurses

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many specialist multiple sclerosis nurses are employed and working in (a) Oxfordshire and (b) England.

Stephen Hammond: The Department does not hold the information requested.

Anaesthetics

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the implications are for his policies on NHS staff facilities of the recent survey findings from the Royal College of Anaesthetists that half of anaesthetists do not have access to a place to rest at their hospital.

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the implications for (a) his policies and (b) staff welfare and morale of the findings in the recent survey by the Royal College of Anaesthetists that one in 10 anaesthetists is charged to use rest facilities in their place of work.

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has undertaken an assessment of the level of availability of (a) dedicated rest facilities and (b) canteens serving hot food for staff working overnight shifts in NHS hospitals; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Hammond: Employers are responsible for ensuring they only charge anaesthetists and other doctors for using rest facilities in hospitals in accordance with relevant terms and conditions of service. The doctors in training contract states: “Where a doctor is rostered to work on a non-resident on-call working pattern and the doctor elects voluntarily, subject to the availability of accommodation, to be resident during the on-call duty period, a charge for any such accommodation shall be made and, provided that prior consent has been given, deducted from the doctor’s salary. Where a doctor is required to work overnight on a resident on-call working pattern, the doctor shall be provided with overnight accommodation for the resident on-call duty period without charge”. The consultant contract requires agreement with their employer on those occasions when they would be resident for night duties so they should not be charged where such agreement has been reached. Generally, employers do not require doctors to be resident on call, as all time resident on call is classified as working hours following the Jaeger judgement. It is a matter for employers to consider what rest facilities they wish to provide when a doctor has been called into the hospital and wishes to rest before going home.

Social Services

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the potential effect on the price of care purchased by self-funders of local authorities purchasing care packages from the same providers in bulk at a lower unit cost price.

Caroline Dinenage: In its 2017 care home market study, the Competition and Market’s Authority (CMA) considered the potential effects where local authorities pay rates for care packages which are lower than those paid by people who are funding their own care. The CMA’s analysis of this issue and the adult social care market is an important part of the evidence base which will feed into the Green Paper on adult social care. The Green Paper will consider the fundamental issues facing the care system.

Locums: Qualifications

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to Sir Keith Pearson’s review entitled Taking revalidation forward: improving the process of relicensing for doctors, published in January 2017, what steps his Department have taken in response to identified weaknesses in the appraisal and revalidation processes for doctors working as locums; and if he will publish a timeline showing when such steps were (a) initiated and (b) completed.

Stephen Hammond: Sir Keith Pearson’s review of medical revalidation, Taking Revalidation Forward (TRF), was published in January 2017. Sir Keith reviewed evidence on the impact of revalidation and concluded "that revalidation has already delivered significant benefits". The review made recommendations to improve some aspects of revalidation, for the benefit of both doctors and patients. Implementation of the recommendations was overseen by the Revalidation Oversight Group, chaired by the General Medical Council (GMC). The GMC has advised that all recommendations have been implemented, except for those which may require legislative change. As recommended by TRF, the Department is working with the GMC, NHS England and other stakeholders to consider whether any amendments are needed to the Medical Profession (Responsible Officer) Regulations 2010 and 2013.

Health Professions: Qualifications

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will undertake a review of the General Medical Council's procedures for revalidating medical professionals as a result of the Zholia Alemi case.

Stephen Hammond: The General Medical Council (GMC) is the independent regulator of doctors across the United Kingdom. The processes for revalidation are a matter for the GMC itself. The Professional Standards Authority (PSA) oversees the work of the healthcare independent regulatory bodies in the UK, including the GMC. The PSA annually reviews the performance of the GMC and considers whether it has met the 24 Standards of Good regulation, covering the four key functions of governance and standards, education and training, registration and fitness to practise. As recommended by Taking Revalidation Forward, the Department is working with the GMC, NHS England and other stakeholders to consider whether any amendments are needed to the Medical Profession (Responsible Officer) Regulations 2010 and 2013.

Locums: Qualifications

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will review the powers conferred by the Medical Profession (Responsible Officer) Regulations 2010 and 2013 that enable locum agencies to revalidate doctors.

Stephen Hammond: Sir Keith Pearson’s review of medical revalidation, Taking Revalidation Forward (TRF), was published in January 2017. The review made recommendations to improve some aspects of revalidation, for the benefit of both doctors and patients. As recommended by TRF, the Department is working with the General Medical Council, NHS England and other stakeholders to consider whether any amendments are needed to the Medical Profession (Responsible Officer) Regulations 2010 and 2013.

Cancer: Health Services

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the report entitled Unfinished business: An assessment of the national approach to improving cancer services in England 1995–2015, published by the Health Foundation in November 2018, whether he plans to take steps in response to the conclusions of that report; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Brine: Improving early diagnosis of cancer is a key priority for this Government. That is why from next year, patients with suspected cancer will receive a diagnosis or have cancer ruled out within 28 days. We also announced a package of cancer measures last month that will radically improve the system and ensure 55,000 more people survive cancer for five years from 2028.

Social Services: Disability

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many adults with severe disabilities are in receipt of local authority-run social care services in (a) Coventry, (b) the West Midlands and (c) the UK.

Caroline Dinenage: This information is not held centrally.

Strokes: Health Services

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many stroke beds there are (a) at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust and (b) throughout (i) the West Midlands and (ii) England.

Stephen Hammond: Data is not available in the format requested. Information surrounding beds by consultant-led speciality is published quarterly by NHS England at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/bed-availability-and-occupancy/

Surgical Mesh Implants

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions his Department has had with representatives of surgical mesh implant groups on their experiences of such implants.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Pelvic mesh groups have been in direct contact with Departmental Ministers on several occasions. The Department is currently working on data needs to monitor mesh procedures. Sling the Mesh has been involved in early discussions. The former Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Jeremy Hunt (MP) announced the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Review in February 2018. Baroness Cumberlege has made listening to patients a priority.

Prisons: Alcoholic Drinks and Drugs

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what (a) drug and (b) alcohol treatment services have been commissioned by his Department in each prison in England and Wales.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The information is not held centrally.

Palliative Care: Children

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will develop outcome indicators to measure the extent to which children with life-limiting conditions and their families are able to make choices on the palliative care they receive.

Caroline Dinenage: Public Health England has no plans to develop indicators on the extent to which children with life limiting conditions and their families are able to make choices on the palliative care they receive. Data is not held on patient preferences for palliative care on which to base such indicators.

Department of Health and Social Care: Food

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant the Answer of 20 February 2018 to Question 127567, if he will  publish (a) the healthy offerings available to staff on his departmental estate and (b) guidelines that are offered to NHS hospitals in relation to low sugar content in vending machines.

Steve Brine: A fresh chopped fruit option is served as part of the breakfast menu on the Departmental estate. The Department offers a healthy meal option in locations hot food is served. The Department also offers a healthy sandwich meal deal, a salad bar and whole fruit snacks every day in the restaurants and cafes on its estate. National Health Service hospitals are required to meet the Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering Services through the NHS Standard Contract, and are required to develop and maintain a food and drink strategy which focuses on healthier eating across the whole hospital community, including the contents of vending machines. The Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering Services are available at the following link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/418072/gbs-food-catering-march2015.pdf In 2016 NHS England introduced a financial incentive for hospitals to encourage healthier food options to be available for staff, limiting the proportion, placement and promotion of foods high in fat, salt, sugar and saturates sold on NHS premises, including via vending machines. This scheme was expanded in the 2017/19 Commissioning for Quality and Innovation (CQUIN). Alongside this, in July 2017 NHS England introduced a voluntary Sugar Sweetened Beverage (SSB) reduction scheme limiting sales of SSBs in each vendor on NHS premises to no more than 10% of SSBs, by volume.

Department of Health and Social Care: Meetings

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant of his Answer to Question 127566 if he will (a) publish the names of the representatives from (i) Mars, (ii) Coca Cola and (iii) the British Soft Drinks Association who met his Department on the specified dates, (b) place notes of those meetings in the Library and (c) publish any correspondence between 2017 and 2018 between these companies and his Department.

Steve Brine: Details about the meetings with Mars, Coca Cola and the British Soft Drinks Association, including representatives attending from these organisations, are provided in the following table. OrganisationDateMeeting typeExternal AttendeesMars12 January 20171:1 meeting with Public Health England (PHE)Communications Manager, Director Global Public Affairs, UK Public Affairs Manager, Scientific Affairs Manager Europe20 January 2017Large PHE stakeholder forum meeting to discuss data in relation to the sugar reduction programmeUnknown17 June 2017Large PHE stakeholder forum meeting on drinks covered by PHE’s reformulation programmeUK Public Affairs Manager22 September 20171:1 meeting with PHEUK Public Affairs Manager1 November 2017Large PHE stakeholder forum meeting on drinks covered by PHE’s reformulation programmeUK Public Affairs Manager20 December 2017PHE meeting with Mars, Mondelez and Ferrero to discuss Treatwise initiativeUK Public Affairs ManagerCoca Cola17 July 2017Large PHE stakeholder forum meeting on drinks covered by PHE’s reformulation programmeSenior Regulatory Affairs Manager9 January 20181:1 meeting with PHEChief Executive Officer and Director Public Affairs & CommunicationBritish Soft Drinks Association (BSDA)22 March 20171:1 with Department of Health (DH)Director General17 July 2017Large PHE stakeholder forum meeting on drinks covered by PHE’s reformulation programmeDirector General and Public Affairs Manager27 July 20171:1 meeting with PHEPublic Affairs Manager7 September 20171:1 with DHDirector General1 November 2017Large PHE stakeholder forum meeting on drinks covered by PHE’s reformulation programmeTechnical Executive18 January 2018Introductory meeting with new Deputy Director of Obesity, Food and Nutrition Branch in DHDirector General and Public Affairs Manager The Department does not have a central record of notes of these meetings. The Department does not have a centralised record of all correspondence with these organisations and to obtain it would incur disproportionate cost.

Kellogs

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on what date officials of his Department have held meetings with representatives of Kellogs in the last 12 months.

Steve Brine: Representatives from Kellogg’s have attended two large stakeholder events organised by Public Health England; one on 3 November 2017 to discuss data to be included in the first sugar progress report, and one on 5 March 2018 to launch the calorie reduction programme and publication of ‘Calorie reduction: The scope and ambition for action’.

Mental Health Services: Finance

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the planned uplift for mental health services funding is for the financial year 2019-2020.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Government announced its long term financial settlement for the National Health Service in June. The Budget 2018 confirmed that will represent an increase of £20.5 billion in real terms by 2023/24. The Government has asked the NHS to develop a long term plan which will set out a vision for the health service and ensure every penny is well spent. The Government has been clear that better access to mental health services, to help achieve the Government’s commitment to parity of esteem between mental and physical health, is one of the principles which must underpin the plan. Funding for mental health services will grow as a share of the overall NHS budget over the next five years. The 2018 Budget set out some of aspects of what the long term plan will contain, and further details will follow when the plan is published in due course.

Health Services

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the report, Letting local systems lead, how the long-term plan could deliver a more sustainable NHS, published by the NHS Confederation in November 2018, whether he has plans to implement the recommendation to make support for effective local leadership and relationships a priority for the NHS Long Term Plan.

Stephen Hammond: National Health Service leaders are producing a new 10-year plan, led by clinicians and professionals, and supported by local health and care systems across the country. We expect the plan to be published later this year and as such decisions are still being taken on the exact content of the plan.

Toxic Shock Syndrome

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to raise awareness of the symptoms of toxic shock syndrome.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Advice on toxic shock syndrome is available on the National Health Service website. I am leading on women’s health and aim to raise awareness of women’s health issues.

Health Services

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to page four of the report, Letting local systems lead, how the long-term plan could deliver a more sustainable NHS, published by the NHS Confederation in November 2018, what assessment he has made of the effect on services of the shortfall in funding of 0.4 per cent.

Stephen Hammond: The National Health Service will set out what is achievable within the envelope. We believe that increases of 3.4% per year on average, together with ensuring every penny is well spent, will ensure the NHS can deliver the world-class service we want.

Food: Advertising

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 26 February to Question 127571, on Food: Advertising, how he intends for the nutrient profiling model to be applied to social media advertising.

Steve Brine: In the second chapter of the Government's Childhood Obesity Plan, published in June, we committed to consult on introducing a 9pm watershed on TV advertising of high fat, salt or sugar (HFSS) products and similar protection for children viewing adverts online. Defining what food and drink would be in scope of any further advertising restrictions will be a part of our consultation. In the case of social media advertising, as with all non-broadcast media, the Committees of Advertising Practice Code already requires that advertisers use the Nutrient Profiling Model to define HFSS products.

Mental Illness: Children

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 27 November 2018 to Question 194622 on Antidepressants: Children, what estimate he has made of the number of children diagnosed with a mental health disorder in each of the last five years.

Jackie Doyle-Price: This information is not available in the format requested.

Dementia: Research

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the level of spending on research into the causes and treatment of dementia; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Dinenage: The Department funds research on health and social care through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). The usual practice of NIHR is not to ring-fence funds for expenditure on particular topics such as dementia. Research proposals in all areas compete for the funding available. The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health including dementia. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality. In all disease areas, the amount of NIHR funding depends on the volume and quality of scientific activity.NIHR funding for dementia research was £43.0 million in 2017/18, having grown from £27 million in 2013/14. Overall public funding for dementia research continues to run well ahead of the Government’s 2020 Dementia Challenge commitment to maintain funding at £60 million a year. The other main public funders of dementia research are the Medical Research Council, which in 2017/18 spent £36.3 million, and the Economic and Social Research Council, which spent £3.2 million, to bring total Government spending on dementia research to £82.5 million.

Organs: Donors

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has developed targets to ensure the numbers of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic organ donors more accurately represent the proportion of those ethnic groups in wider society.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Government is committed to increasing organ donation among black and Asian people and has commissioned a campaign, with support from the National BAME Transplant Alliance. The campaign aims to increase donation rates by raising awareness and breaking down barriers to donation within these communities. There are no targets published in relation to Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic organ donation.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions his Department has had with NICE on acceptance of the classification of myalgic encephalomyelitis as a neurological disease as defined by the World Health Organisation; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Brine: The Department has had no such discussions. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is an independent body and develops its guidance based on a thorough assessment of the available evidence and in consultation with stakeholders. NICE is currently updating its clinical guideline on the diagnosis and management of chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis, with expected publication on 14 October 2020.

Care Homes

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of care homes had direct access to clinical advice including appropriate on-site assessment at (a) March 2017 and (b) October 2017.

Caroline Dinenage: Every care home has direct access to clinical advice, insofar as care homes have access to their local general practices. Information is not held centrally regarding the number of care homes that have direct access to clinical advice including on-site assessments, home visits, and regular or routine visits from doctors to see residents.

Urgent Treatment Centres

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress has been made on the planned roll-out of urgent treatment centres by Spring 2018.

Stephen Hammond: Since the publication of the principles and standards for Urgent Treatment Centres (UTCs) in summer 2017, NHS England has worked with local areas to support the roll out of the UTC model, including the ability to book appointments directly via NHS 111.

Ambulance Services: Standards

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress the Government has made on the implementation of the recommendations of the Ambulance Response Programme.

Stephen Hammond: All ambulance services in England have operationally implemented the response time standards and processes recommended by the Ambulance Response Programme (ARP). The recommendations were accepted in July 2017. NHS England publishes ambulance trust performance against the new Ambulance Quality Indicators (AQIs) on a monthly basis at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/ambulance-quality-indicators/NHS England is also progressing the ARP recommendations for the development of an expanded set of Clinical Quality Indicators (CQIs) for ambulance services. The CQIs for stroke, heart attack and return of spontaneous circulation following cardiac arrest are published on the same platform as the AQIs. A new measure was introduced in the October 2018 publication for delivery of a care bundle to patients with sepsis. Further CQIs related to patients who have fallen and remain on the floor and callers in mental health crisis are in development.

Arrowe Park Hospital: Accident and Emergency Departments

Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will make an assessment of the effect of the closure of five walk-in centres and minor injury units in Eastham, Wallasey, Birkenhead, New Ferry and Moreton in Wirral on the capacity of the A&E department at Arrowe Park Hospital.

Stephen Hammond: NHS Wirral Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) is currently undertaking an Urgent Care Consultation until 12 December 2018, allowing it to consider the impact of suggested service changes on areas such as accident and emergency capacity. Proposals include the introduction of an Urgent Treatment Centre at Arrowe Park Hospital and more general practitioner extended access appointments across Wirral. This would replace walk in centre facilities located at the CCG’s current urgent care venues, but does not mean that these locations would close as they may deliver other services. The main consultation document is available at the following link:www.wirralurgentcare.co.ukWirral University Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is being provided with £2 million of winter capital funding this year to help improve its urgent and emergency care.

Hospital Beds

Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of step-down beds in NHS hospitals that are staffed by private healthcare companies.

Stephen Hammond: The requested information is not collected centrally.

Four Seasons Health Care

Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the value is of his Department's contract with Four Seasons Health Care; and what steps his Department is taking to measure the value for money of that contract.

Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the value is of his Department's contract with Four Seasons Healthcare in (a) Merseyside and (b) Wirral.

Caroline Dinenage: The Department holds no contracts with Four Seasons Health Care.

Department of Health and Social Care: Procurement

Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what measures his Department has in place to identify suppliers with precarious financial situations during the procurement process.

Stephen Hammond: The Department has detailed procurement strategies in place which guide procurement professionals through the steps at which suppliers financial standing should be identified and measured during a procurement process. All procurement processes are undertaken in line with Procurement Policy Notice 02/13 (Financial Risk Issues) and the Department is currently working with colleagues across Government on its replacement which will be released shortly. All recommendations from the revised Procurement Policy Notice will be fed back into the procurement strategy documents.

NHS: Contracts

Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to monitor the financial health of companies that hold contracts with the NHS.

Stephen Hammond: It is the responsibility of each National Health Service organisation to assess the financial health of suppliers of services or products throughout the life of the contract. The Department has contract management processes in place to monitor the financial standing of its own suppliers and ensure contracted services are delivered in accordance with the terms and conditions of the contract.

Drugs and Medical Equipment: Imports

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has in place to ensure the entry of (a) medical supplies and (b) medicines to the UK in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Hammond: The Government has agreed the terms of our exit from the European Union, as set out in the Withdrawal Agreement. The Withdrawal Agreement offers a time-limited implementation period that provides a bridge to the future relationship, allowing business, including the life sciences industry, to continue trading as now until the end of 2020. The supply of medicines and medical supplies would remain unchanged during the implementation period.As a responsible Government, however, we continue to prepare proportionately for all scenarios, including the unlikely outcome that we leave the EU without any deal in March 2019.On 23 August, the Department announced contingency measures to increase stock holding at a national level for medical devices and clinical consumables. To this end, we are working with suppliers that routinely import products from EU countries to determine what measures they need to take so that they can continue to provide products in the unlikely event of a no deal EU exit. Also, on 23 August, the Department wrote to pharmaceutical companies that supply the United Kingdom with pharmacy or prescription-only medicines from, or via, the EU/European Economic Area, asking them to ensure they have a minimum of six weeks’ additional supply in the UK, over and above their business as usual operational buffer stocks, by 29 March 2019 in the event of a no deal EU exit. On the same date, the Government published two technical notices on the batch testing and regulation of human medicines in the event of a no deal, together with a further technical notice on the submission of regulatory information on medical products.Since these initiatives were announced, the Department has received very good engagement from industry who share our aims of ensuring continuity of medical supplies for patients is maintained and able to cope with any potential delays at the border that may arise in the short term in the event of a no-deal EU exit.

Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the transition period set out in the agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union, whether the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency will retain its status as a competent authority; and whether existing CE marks assigned under that agency will be valid from 29 March 2019 until the end of that transition period.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The agreement of an implementation period will ensure that access to medicines and medical devices continues, and patient safety is maintained, in both the United Kingdom and European Union markets. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) will continue to be the UK competent authority during this period. For medical devices, CE marks are assigned by notified bodies (rather than competent authorities such as the MHRA), and during the implementation period UK notified bodies will continue to conduct third-party conformity assessment in the UK, and the results of these tests will continue to be used and recognised for both the UK and EU markets.

Epilepsy: Death

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to tackle the effect of deprivation on epilepsy and reduce the number of deaths caused by that condition.

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take to ensure that families receive appropriate advice and support when their relatives have died as a result of symptoms relating to epilepsy.

Steve Brine: The Public Health England (PHE) report ‘Deaths associated with neurological conditions in England 2001 to 2014’, was developed by PHE’s Neurology Intelligence Network (NIN), and published on 27 February 2018. The report found that a greater proportion of epilepsy related deaths occur in areas of higher levels of deprivation. The rate of deaths associated with epilepsy in areas ranked as the most deprived in England is almost three times larger than in the least deprived; 13 deaths per 100,000 population compared to five deaths per 100,000 population. A copy of the report can be found at the following link: www.gov.uk/government/publications/deaths-associated-with-neurological-conditions Wider research has shown that epilepsy prevalence varies with social deprivation, but this is not well understood, and it is not clear whether this inequality in mortality is the consequence of the increased prevalence seen in deprived areas, of poor care, or both. However, deprivation is a well-known determinant of poor general health, and although there is insufficient evidence to describe the relationship as causal, it underlines the health inequalities link in relation to epilepsy related deaths. The Government is acting broadly to reduce health inequalities by addressing the social causes of ill health, promoting healthier lifestyles for all and tackling differences in outcomes of NHS services, all underpinned by legal duties. Through the Mandate the Government has asked NHS England to ensure service commissioning focuses on measurable reductions in inequalities in access to health services, in people’s experience of the health system, and across a specified range of health outcomes which contribute to reducing inequalities in life expectancy and healthy life expectancy. National and local outcomes frameworks feature indicators to measure improvements across a range of areas, including inequalities, and the Mandate asks NHS England to do more in increasing the transparency on services and outcomes that these frameworks provide.  At a national level, NHS England is the organisation responsible for securing and supporting high quality outcomes for people with epilepsy, and the vast majority of services for people with the condition are planned and commissioned by local clinical commissioning groups. Action is led locally to ensure the solutions put in place reflect the needs of individual communities.

Mental Health Services

Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the provision of community mental health services for people with severe mental illness.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Government recognises that we need to go further in improving mental health services. NHS England is developing a new framework for community mental health services focussing on care for adults with severe mental illnesses. This work draws on a wide range of sources of data and intelligence, including the Care Quality Commission’s annual community mental health surveys and inspections of services. The Government has asked the National Health Service to develop a long-term plan which will set out a vision for the health service and we have been clear that better access to mental health services, to help achieve the Government’s commitment to parity of esteem between mental and physical health, is one of the principles which must underpin the plan. It will be published shortly.

Mental Health: Children and Young People

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the NHS Digital report, Mental Health of Children and Young People in England, 2017, published on 22 November 2018, when the data on children and young people’s mental health will next be updated and with what frequency that data will be updated.

Jackie Doyle-Price: We intend to update the data on children and young people’s mental health by conducting a prevalence survey every seven years. In the meantime, we have also started work to commission a survey on the mental health prevalence of looked after and previously looked after children to better understand their needs and inform both the services to be commissioned, as well as the training of professionals in contact with these children.

Mental Health: Children and Young People

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effect of the time taken between the publication of Mental health of children and young people in Great Britain, 2004 and Mental Health of Children and Young People in England, 2017 on the understanding of demand for children’s mental health services.

Jackie Doyle-Price: These two reports set out information on the prevalence of mental health conditions in children and young people. The Mental Health Services Data Set helps inform our understanding of demand for services, although it is an experimental dataset, and we expect data quality and coverage to improve over time. Current transformation plans to improve children and young people’s mental health services in the National Health Service have been based on an understanding of unmet need and increasing demand, which was already understood well before the publication of the recent report ‘Mental Health of Children and Young People in England, 2017’ on the prevalence of mental health conditions. The recently published survey shows a slight increase overall in prevalence of mental health conditions in 5-15 year olds, from 10.1% in 2004 to 11.2% in 2017.

Mental Health: Children and Young People

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the report entitled, Mental Health of Children and Young People in England, 2017, published by NHS Digital on 22 November 2018, if he will reissue the Government Green Paper, Transforming Children and Young People’s Mental Health on the demand for mental health services.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Government has no plans to reissue the Green Paper, ‘Transforming Children and Young People’s Mental Health’ following the publication in November 2018 of information about the prevalence of mental health conditions in children and young people in the report ‘Mental Health of Children and Young People, 2017’. The newly published survey shows only a slight rise in prevalence of mental health conditions in children and young people, from 10.1% in 2004 to 11.2% in 2017. We published the Green Paper proposals in December 2017 in response to what we already knew about the significant unmet need which exists and the rising demand for children’s mental health services. We will test, monitor and evaluate the implementation of the core proposals the Green Paper to ensure we learn what works.

Mental Health: Children and Young People

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to page 23 of the Government response to the joint Education and Health Select Committee Report, the Government’s Green Paper on mental health: failing a generation, Cm 9627, what progress he has made on the keep-in-touch exercise with respondents to the NHS Digital report, Mental Health of Children and Young People in England, 2017.

Jackie Doyle-Price: We are currently considering the merits of a keep-in-touch exercise with respondents of the recent publication ‘Mental Health of Children and Young People in England, 2017’.

Mental Health: Children and Young People

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to revise the mental health component of the NHS long-term plan to take account of the data contained in the NHS Digital Report, Mental Health of Children and Young People in England, 2017.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Mental health will be a priority within the National Health Service long-term plan, to be published by the end of the year, and will take into account the report ‘Mental Health of Children and Young People in England, 2017’.

Prime Minister

Royal Visits Committee

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Prime Minister, on how many occasions the Prime Minister has attended the Royal Visits Committee in each of the last three years.

Mrs Theresa May: The Prime Minister is represented by one of her/his Private Secretaries.

Department for Work and Pensions

Universal Credit

Mr Paul Sweeney: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will extend universal credit transitional protection to people (a) whose eligibility for support has recently changed, (b) living in temporary and supported accommodation and (c) affected by the benefit cap.

Alok Sharma: Natural migration to Universal Credit occurs when a claimant experiences a change in their circumstances and they are required to make a new claim to Universal Credit. This new award is calculated based on claimants’ new circumstances, which ensures they are paid the correct amount. As such, they are not eligible for transitional protection which is designed to ensure that those moved without a change in circumstances do not lose out financially. The Universal Credit (Managed Migration) 2018 regulations which have been laid before Parliament ensure that those living in temporary and supported accommodation will have access to transitional protection if they are managed migrated. These claimants will remain in receipt of their existing Housing Benefit while they continue to live in this form of accommodation and, therefore, no support paid for housing will be taken into account when considering if transitional protection should be awarded. This transitional protection is dependent on the Managed Migration regulations receiving Parliamentary approval. When claimants are migrated to Universal Credit the comparison of total legacy benefit and Universal Credit will be calculated once the benefit cap has been applied to both amounts. The benefit cap rules continue to apply so Universal Credit claimants will not receive above the level of the benefit cap unless they meet one of the exemption criteria. Households who are exempt from the Benefit Cap, including those who earn at least £542 a month, will be unaffected.

Universal Credit

Neil Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of claimants used implicit consent to make a benefits claim under the legacy system.

Alok Sharma: Implicit Consent is usually used when a third party wants to check the progress of a claim or assist a customer with a question about their entitlement. For more vulnerable claimants unable to mange their own affairs, an appointee or corporate acting body will make the claim on their behalf. If implicit consent was used to make a new claim there is no specific area that the details are held on the legacy system.

Universal Credit

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to her oral contribution of 5 November 2018, Official Report, column 1261, how many such letters she has received; and if she will publish those letters after redacting identifying information.

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to her oral contribution of 5 November 2018, Official Report, column 1260, what estimate she has made of the number of people that have been frightened to go into a jobcentre as a result of scare stories in (a) the UK, (b) the West Midlands and (c) Birmingham.

Alok Sharma: The Department does not hold this information centrally on constituency correspondence.

Social Security Benefits

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the number of people who have ceased to claim income-related benefits in the most recent 12 months for which data is available; and for what reasons those people ceased to make such claims.

Alok Sharma: The information requested for those moving off income-related benefits is only available for Jobseeker’s Allowance. It is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost for other income related benefits. The available information which shows the number of off-flows and reasons from the Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) claimant count is published at: https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/default.asp Guidance for users can be found at: https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/home/newuser.asp

Universal Credit

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of new claims for universal credit were processed (a) within five weeks, (b) between five and ten weeks and (c) in ten weeks or longer in the most recent 12 months for which data are available.

Alok Sharma: We published statistics on payment timeliness for new claims on 9 July 2018 which found 95 per cent of eligible claims (new claims that were due a payment in February 2018) were paid in full within five weeks of the payment due date. Our latest internal data shows that for claims due their first payment in July 2018, 94 per cent of claims were paid in full within five weeks of the payment due date, with close to 99 per cent receiving at least a partial payment. Further details for claimants due their first payment in July 2018 can be seen in the table below. Subject to some fluctuation, this has been broadly consistent for every month for which the data has been requested.  Within 5 weeks of payment due date6-10 weeks after payment due dateMore than 10 weeks after payment due dateReceived Payment in Full94.3%3.1%2.6%Received a Partial Payment98.6%1.0%0.4%In many cases where full payment is not made on time, it is due to unresolved issues such as: claimants not accepting their Claimant Commitment or passing identity checks, satisfying the Habitual Residency Test, or having outstanding verification issues, such as housing costs and self-employed earnings.

Conditions of Employment

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 1 November 2018 to Question 183319 on Conditions of Employment, what assessment she has made of the ability of the definition of (a) worker and (b) world of work to be ratifiable by as large a number of ILO membership as possible.

Alok Sharma: The Government supports the adoption of an International Labour Convention on ending violence and harassment in the work of work. The Government is fully engaged in discussions in the International Labour Organisation on the scope and content of the proposed Convention and as part of that is in regular contact with other states on this issue. The text of the Convention under negotiation includes formal workers and, if universally ratified, would apply to the world’s poorest workers. The Government’s position on the definitions and scope of the Convention is that it should provide broad coverage, whilst being ratifiable by as large a number of the International Labour Organisation’s membership as possible.

Universal Credit

Karin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate her Department has made of the number of claimants of Universal Credit that have had deductions of more than 40 per cent from their Standard Allowance as a result of overpayments made by (a)  computer and (b) other administrative error.

Alok Sharma: It is not possible for a deduction of more than 40 per cent of the Standard Allowance to be made as a result of overpayments whether made by a computer or other administrative error. When an overpayment deduction is being applied, then it has to be within the overall 40 per cent limit for deductions (reducing to 30 per cent from October 2019). The maximum deduction that can be taken for overpayments that have occurred due to computer or administrative error is either 15 per cent (standard rate) or 25 per cent (in receipt of UC with earnings) of the standard allowance. The 40 per cent maximum is only applied to overpayments caused as a consequence of fraud. As last resort deductions are higher up the deduction priority order, they will already have been taken as third party deductions, and as such the total deduction cannot exceed the 40 per cent maximum. For example:Last resort deduction for arrears of rent at 10%;Last resort deduction for arrears of gas at 5%;Last resort deduction for arrears of electricity at 5%;Arrears of overpayment caused by error for a claimant with earnings. The maximum deduction rate for this is 25% but as 20% is already being taken for the third party deductions above, only 20% will be taken for the overpayment, so as not to exceed the 40% limit.More generally, it is possible for the 40% ceiling to be breached but only when there is a Fraud Penalty or Sanction or an Advance repayment which means that some or all of the Last Resort Deductions cannot be applied while remaining within the 40% ceiling. If it is nevertheless in the claimant’s best interests to apply the Last Resort Deductions, then the ceiling can be breached. At this point, anything lower down the priority order (such as overpayments) would not be deducted. The Deduction Priority Order can be found here (p. 72) - https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/683470/benefit-overpayment-recovery-guide.pdf

Social Security Benefits: Blaenau Gwent

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the answer of 13 November 2018 to Question 188789 on Social Security Benefits: Blaenau Gwent, what the total number of appeals made for both those benefits were in that same (a) constituency and (b) timeframe; and what proportion of those appeals were successful.

Sarah Newton: Personal Independence Payment (PIP) appeals In the Blaenau Gwent constituency, 170 appeals were completed in relation to PIP in 2017-18. Of these, 79% (130 appeals) were successful. 40 appeals were completed between April and June 2018, the latest date for which statistics have been published. Of these, 79% (30 appeals) were successful. These figures include all PIP appeals; so they will contain appeals where claimants appealed for a higher PIP award as well as those appeals against a disallowance decision.Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10. Appeals data taken from the DWP PIP computer system’s management information. Therefore this appeal data may differ from that held by Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service for various reasons such as delays in data recording and other methodological differences in collating and preparing statistics. The Parliamentary Constituency geography relates to the origin of the claim (i.e. derived from claimant’s postcode) rather than the location of where the tribunal was. Decisions overturned at appeal may include a number of appeals that have been lapsed (which is where DWP changed the decision after an appeal was lodged but before it was heard at Tribunal). Since PIP was introduced 3.5m decisions have been made nationally up to June 2018, of these 9% have been appealed and 4% have been overturned. Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) appeals Information on appeal outcome by claim start date and Parliamentary Constituency is available on Stat-Xplore under “ESA Work Capability Assessments”. https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/ Guidance on how to use Stat-Xplore can be found here: https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/index.html  Between April 2014 and March 2018, 3.5m ESA (post WCA) decisions have been made nationally, of these 8% have been appealed and 4% have been overturned.

Access to Work Programme: Arthritis

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to promote the Access to Work Scheme for people with arthritis and related conditions.

Sarah Newton: Access to Work continues to undertake targeted awareness of the scheme to the most under-represented groups, including people with musculoskeletal conditions like arthritis. We have worked with Arthritis Research UK (ARUK) and Arthritis Care on marketing Access to Work to their clients, including sharing information about how to apply for the support. Access to Work is promoted to a range of business leaders through the Disability Confident scheme, to benefit claimants through Jobcentre Plus and we are working with a number of our stakeholders to target employers and health professionals

Poverty

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to address the findings and recommendations in the Statement on the Visit to the UK by the UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, published on 16 November 2018.

Justin Tomlinson: The Government will consider the Special Rapporteur’s findings carefully. Under this Government, income inequality has fallen and remains lower than in 2010; the number of children in workless households is at a record low; and there are 1 million fewer people in absolute poverty (before housing costs) compared with 2010, including 300,000 children. Work continues to offer people the best opportunity to move out of poverty. Children living in households where all adults are working are five times less likely to be in relative poverty after housing costs than those in workless families. That is why this Government will continue to reform the welfare system to ensure that those who can work are supported to move into and to remain in employment. The Autumn Budget announced a number of changes to Universal Credit ahead of further expansion including an increase of £1,000 in work allowances from April 2019 allowing 2.4 million households to keep an extra £630 of income each year.

Personal Independence Payment: Multiple Sclerosis

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of people with multiple sclerosis in Newcastle upon Tyne North constituency who received a reduced rate of mobility support as a result of the transition from disability living allowance to personal independence payments (PIP) (i) appealed that decision and (ii) were successful in their appeal in each year since PIP was introduced.

Sarah Newton: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Personal Independence Payment

Kate Hollern: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make it her policy to undertake a review of the application process for personal independence payments.

Sarah Newton: We are absolutely committed to improving the overall Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claimant experience as this is what claimants rightly expect and deserve. As part of that commitment, we constantly keep under review how we can improve the PIP application process. For example, this has been supported by the findings published in the PIP Claimant Research – Final Report, two independent reviews of PIP and recommendations from the Work and Pensions Select Committee.Some of the key improvements we have made to the PIP application process:In April 2018 we increased our use of SMS text messages to better keep claimants updated about the progress of their claimIn April 2018 we launched a series of PIP videos to help claimants better navigate and understand the PIP claims process and the types of supporting evidence to send and;In October 2016 (after the wave 1 fieldwork), we published a revised version of the PIP2 questionnaire where the language, style and tone of the form was simplified, and paragraphs were shortened to make it easier to understand and more focused for claimants to complete; However, I recognise that there is more to do to improve the application process and that is why we are in the final stages of commissioning independent research to support further improvements to the PIP2 questionnaire. In addition to the independent research, the Department has gathered views, on video recording, from a range of stakeholders and representatives as well as from claimants and health professionals. These views have helped to inform the design of the live testing pilot which began on 29 November 2018, which will inform views on rolling out video recording more widely, in order to promote greater trust and transparency.

Universal Credit

Kate Hollern: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate her Department has made of the number of people who have been evicted for not paying their rent due to a delay before their first payment of universal credit.

Justin Tomlinson: The Department does not hold the information requested. As of August 2018, 84% of paid Universal Credit full service new claims were paid in full on time. When new claims are not paid on time, it is estimated that two-thirds have an outstanding verification issue, such as providing bank statements, evidence of childcare costs, or proof of rent. Other times it’s because a claimant has not signed their claimant commitment. Claimants can claim an advance of up to 100% of their estimated monthly entitlement as soon as they make their claim, so no-one needs to experience hardship when claiming Universal Credit. Additionally, it was announced that from July 2020, income related legacy benefits, Income Support, Income Related Employment and Support Allowance and Income Based Jobseeker’s Allowance will continue for two weeks after a claim for Universal Credit has been made. This is in addition to a pre-existing two week run-on of housing benefit.

Universal Credit

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 26 November 2018 to Question 194074 on Universal Credit, whether the monthly number of claimants with disputes reflects the total number of disputes or number of new referrals within each particular month.

Alok Sharma: The answer to Question 194074 reflects the number of new referrals within each particular month.

Universal Credit

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claimants of tax credit working full-time have yet to be migrated onto universal credit.

Alok Sharma: As of April 2018, there are an estimated 1,819,000 families with at least one full-time worker receiving Working Tax Credits on the Tax Credit caseload.

Personal Independence Payment: Postural Tachycardia Syndrome

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of claimants of personal independence payment with Postural Tachyacardia Syndrome (a) did not receive an award after their first assessment and (b) received an award at tribunal.

Sarah Newton: In relation to part (a), statistics on Personal Independence Payment (PIP) first assessment outcomes at disability level are not readily available and have not previously been published as Official Statistics. We are producing the statistics requested and issuing them in an Official Statistics release on 11th December 2018 in accordance with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics. In relation to part (b), since PIP was introduced, 40 people with a primary disabling condition of tachycardia who were disallowed PIP after their initial assessment went on to receive an award at tribunal. The figures in (b) have been rounded to the nearest 10. Overall, since PIP was introduced 3.5m decisions have been made up to June 2018, of these 9% have been appealed and 4% have been overturned. Appeals, data is based on primary disabling condition as recorded on the PIP computer systems. Claimants may often have multiple disabling conditions upon which the decision is based but only the primary condition is shown in these statistics. The lowest level of detail available in this data allows us to identify claimants with a primary disabling condition of tachycardia, but not Postural Tachycardia Syndrome. The appeals may include decisions which are changed at mandatory reconsideration, and where the claimant continues to appeal for a higher PIP award, are then changed again at tribunal appeal.

Universal Credit

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans her Department has to take account of 53-week years in the provision of universal credit.

Alok Sharma: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Occupational Pensions

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when she plans to bring forward legislative proposals to enable the establishment of collective defined contribution pensions.

Guy Opperman: We are currently consulting on how we should deliver an appropriate legislative and regulatory framework for Collective Defined Contribution Pension Schemes. That consultation will run until 16 January next year. Once that concludes and the responses have been considered, we will bring forward any necessary legislation as soon as Parliamentary time allows.

Universal Credit: PAYE

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment she has made of the (a) timeliness and (b) accuracy of RTI data used in the calculation of awards of universal credit.

Alok Sharma: The vast majority of Universal Credit claimants’ (around 98%) claims are administered in real time and accurately. In cases that are affected by inaccurate RTI data, a manual intervention can be made to ensure that claimants receive their Universal Credit award, validated against their wage slips.

Pensions: Advisory Services

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 14 November 2018 to Question 191268, on Pensions: Advisory Services, what steps he is taking to encourage those identified in the pension wise service evaluation report for 2016-17 who are not pre-disposed to taking actions that help them make informed decisions on their pensions.

Guy Opperman: Take up of the Pension Wise guidance service is growing. Between 2015/16 and 2017/18, take up of appointments more than doubled and continues to increase. Pension schemes and providers are required to signpost people to Pension Wise at key contact points. Pension providers are consistently cited by around half of the people who contact Pension Wise as the place they first heard of the service. The Financial Conduct Authority have consulted on changes to these requirements with a view to increasing the take up of Pension Wise guidance. The Pension Wise marketing strategy across TV, Radio, web, Press and Video on Demand, as well as search engine optimisation, aims to get maximum reach amongst the target audience. This has proven to an effective way of both raising awareness of the service and driving take-up of appointments. Pension Wise is also working with employers nationally and locally to engage with their employees at their place of work. Pension Wise delivery partners also undertake local promotional activities, raising awareness of the service at local events. The Financial Guidance and Claims Act 2018 establishes a new Single Financial Guidance Body which will bring together the services currently provided by the Money Advice Service, The Pensions Advisory Service and Pension Wise. The new body will make it easier for people to access information and guidance to help them make effective financial decisions. This Act also set a framework for implementing a stronger final nudge towards Pension Wise at the point people seek to access their pension and we are engaging with providers to find the most effective approach. The 2016-17 Pension Wise service evaluation report did not specifically identify a group who are not pre-disposed to taking actions that help them make informed decisions on their pensions. It was predominantly a survey of Pension Wise customers, but included a group of non-users, for the purposes of comparison and to help understand why they had not used the service. The latest Pension Wise service evaluation report has now been published and is available online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pension-wise-service-evaluation-2017-to-2018-customer-experiences-and-outcomes Finally, the DWP has just issued a consultation on the Pensions Dashboard, which will specifically assist on the provision of information to all consumers on the issue of pensions and retirement planning. The dashboard statement can be found here:https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2018-09-04/HCWS933/

Social Security Benefits

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of people in receipt of legacy benefit payments had a deduction in the latest month for which figures are available.

Alok Sharma: The information requested is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Universal Credit

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of universal credit payments were subject to a deduction excluding sanctions in the latest month for which data is available.

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of universal credit claimants were subject to a level of deduction excluding sanctions from the standard allowance (a) at the 40 per cent cap, (b) above the 30 per cent level (c) above the 20 per cent level and (d) above the 10 per cent level in the latest month for which data is available.

Alok Sharma: For eligible claims to UC Full Service due a payment in September 2018, 53% (474,000 claims) had a deduction (including to repay advances, for fraud penalties, and for other deductions, but excluding deductions for sanctions). The information for claims with deductions above 10% of their standard allowance is as follows: a) 7% (60,000 claims) of all Universal Credit Full Service eligible claims had deductions at 40% of the Standard Allowance;b) 13% (114,000 claims) of all Universal Credit Full Service eligible claims had deductions above 30% of the Standard Allowance;c) 24% (213,000 claims) of all Universal Credit Full Service eligible claims had deductions above 20% of their Standard Allowance;d) 39% (347,000 claims) of all Universal Credit Full Service eligible claims had deductions above 10% of their Standard Allowance. Claim numbers are rounded to the nearest 1,000.NOTE: These claim figures may not match official statistics caseloads due to methodological differences. At Autumn Budget 2018 we announced we will reduce the maximum rate at which deductions can be made from a Universal Credit award from 40% to 30% of the standard allowance, from October 2019. Additionally, from October 2021, the recovery period for advances will increase from 12 to 16 months. This will help over 600,000 families to manage their debts at any one point when roll-out is complete, providing them with, on average, £295 extra a year as their debts are repaid over a longer period.

Universal Credit: Housing

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will amend universal credit regulations to allow for the housing cost element for renters to be calculated for a 53-week year in 2019-20; and if she will make a statement.

Justin Tomlinson: Universal Credit is calculated and paid on monthly cycles to reflect the fact that the vast majority of people receive their wages monthly. Many social landlords still expect their tenants to pay rent on a weekly basis, a practice based upon a time when both wages and benefits were paid weekly. The effect of this is that, roughly every six years, there will be 53 payment days in a twelve-month period with the result that, over the cycle, the average social sector tenant will receive approximately 35p a week less towards their rent. A key principle of Universal Credit is that it simplifies the benefit system for working age claimants and re-assessing housing costs to reflect the number of rent payments in any particular year would be complicated and lead to confusion. As such, the Department has no plans to amend these regulations.

Christmas Bonus

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has plans to up-rate the Christmas bonus paid to recipients of certain benefits.

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for how many years the Christmas bonus for recipients of certain benefits has been set at the value of £10.

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will estimate how many benefit recipients will receive the Christmas bonus for Christmas 2018.

Guy Opperman: The Christmas bonus was initially introduced by the then Conservative Government as a one-off payment of £10 in 1972, and has not been uprated by any government since. It was introduced to provide additional financial support at a time of high inflation. It is now an established feature of the social security system. There are no plans to uprate the annual Christmas Bonus.The number of benefit recipients forecasted to receive the Christmas bonus for Christmas 2018 can be found in table 1c of the “Outturn and forecast: Autumn Budget 2018” publication. This information is available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/benefit-expenditure-and-caseload-tables-2018

Universal Credit: Easington

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 20 November 2018 to question 193440 on Universal Credit: Easington, how many claimants of universal credit have been called for a work capability assessment since the Centre for Health and Disabilities Assessment started its contract in March 2015.

Sarah Newton: We are unable to provide information on Work Capability Assessments by constituency area as this information is not available. Since March 2015 there have been 144,000 Universal Credit face to face assessments conducted by CHDA up to and including 31st October 2018.

Universal Credit

Jeff Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what fiscal steps his Department has put in place to ensure the timely payment of universal credit for families with children born during the assessment period.

Alok Sharma: For the purpose of the Universal Credit award calculation, we treat reported changes, including children born during the assessment period, as if they occurred at the start of the relevant assessment period so this is already in place.

Social Security Benefits: EU Nationals

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to paragraph 54 of the Political Declaration setting out the framework for the future relationship between the European Union and the United Kingdom, how many non-UK EU nationals (a) currently living in the UK and (b) expected to be living in the UK over the next 15 years will qualify for social security support from the public purse; what benefits those people will be eligible for; and what estimate he has made of the cost of providing those benefits.

Alok Sharma: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Universal Credit: EU Nationals

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many non-UK EU nationals (a) are in receipt of universal credit and (b) will be in receipt of universal credit in each of the next 10 years.

Alok Sharma: The nationality and immigration status of claimants is not currently recorded on benefit payment systems. However, the Department for Work and Pensions has published statistics on working age benefit recipients by nationality at point of National Insurance Number (NINO) registration. This information is known as “Nationality at point of National Insurance Number registration of DWP benefit claimants” and is included in the “Statistical Bulletin on Nationality at point of National Insurance Number registration of DWP working age benefit recipients: data to November 2017”, available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/nationality-at-point-of-national-insurance-number-registration-of-dwp-working-age-benefit-recipients-data-to-november-2017

Home Office

Police

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he plans to bring forward proposals to give local communities greater involvement in allocating police resources and setting local priorities.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Government believes in local policing, accountable to local communities. That is why we put local people in charge by introducing directly elected and accountable Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs).PCCs are responsible for determining their force’s budget and policing precept, as well as obtaining the views of local people on police and crime objectives for their area through a police and crime plan.Decisions on the composition and deployment of officers and staff are an operational decision for Chief Constables.

Vetting

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have an offence of persistently soliciting under section 1 of the Vagrancy Act 1898 on their Disclosure and Barring Service record.

Victoria Atkins: The Disclosure and Barring Service have not disclosed any offences under s1 of the Vagrancy Act 1898 since 29 May 2013 to 30 September 2018. The current rules governing the disclosure of offences came into force on 29 May 2013.

Asylum: Finance

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made of the number of people that have had an application for asylum rejected who have no recourse to public funds in each of the last five years.

Caroline Nokes: Asylum Seekers whose claims and, if appropriate, appeals have been refused are no longer eligible for asylum support and are expected to return home. We offer assistance to those who choose to do so by actively promoting the Home Office Voluntary Return Service. The Home Office continues to provide accommodation and support to those who are temporarily unable to leave the UK because of a practical or legal obstacle through the Section 4 provisions, and to families with children under the age of 18.Information about asylum decisions, broken down by Country of Origin, is available in the published statistics here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-year-ending-june-2018/how-many-people-do-we-grant-asylum-or-protection-to#asylum-applications-and-initial-decisions

Police National Computer

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the letter from the Minister of State for Policing and the Fire Service to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Ladywood, MIN/0014431/18, for what reason his Department is unable to obtain statistics from the Police National Computer on the number of person records relating to non-charge or conviction action by (a) force and (b) race.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Police National Computer is over 40 years old and was not designed to create management information of the type sought in this question. It is being replaced by the Law Enforcement Data Service (LEDS) which is being designed to provide significantly enhanced management information.

Firearms: Regulation

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent representations he has received from (a) the National Ballistics Intelligence Service, (b) the National Police Chiefs Council, (c) police forces and (d) the National Crime Agency on the prohibition of .50 calibre rifles; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Home Secretary received advice from law enforcement agencies on the threat and risk to public safety from high energy rifles, including .50 calibre rifles.At the Home Secretary’s request, we have received further advice from the National Crime Agency on whether there are alternatives to prohibition which would reduce the risk, in particular more secure storage arrangements. In light of that advice, the Home Secretary has decided that further detailed consideration is required on how best to tighten controls on high energy rifles. We have therefore tabled an amendment to remove the proposed prohibition from the Bill and will undertake a full public consultation to seek as wide a range of views as possible on this important issue.

Police: Injuries

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police officers were injured while on duty in (a) 2015, (b) 2016, (c) 2017 and (d) 2018.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Home Office does not hold centrally information on the total number of officers injured while on duty. However, statistics are routinely published on the number of recorded offences involving assault with injury on a constable.These data are released as an annex to the annual ‘Police workforce, England and Wales’ statistical release, which can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-workforce-england-and-wales

Immigrants: EU Nationals

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of merits of providing physical documentation to holders of settled status as proof of their legal status.

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what alternative proof of legal status the Government plans to be available to holders of settled status in the event that they lose access to their digital proof.

Caroline Nokes: The Home Office is producing a new, simplified digital system for applications for settled status. Their status will be recorded electronically, and the Home Office will have a permanent record of EU citizens and their family members who are living here with settled status.Until the end of the implementation period, EU citizens can continue to prove their right to work using their EU passport or national identity card. Third Country National family members of EU citizens will have biometric documentation in addition to an online digital status to enable them to evidence easily their status in the UK.After that they will be able to do so via a straightforward online process which will enable them to demonstrate their rights to employers in a secure and streamlined way using real time information provided from Home Office records.

Immigrants: EU Nationals

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with which (a) other public and (b) private sector organisations in (i) the UK and (ii) overseas his Department plans to be able to share the biometric data provided by applicants to the EU Settlement Scheme.

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department plans to take to ensure that biometric data provided by applicants to the EU Settlement Scheme will be securely protected.

Caroline Nokes: Biometrics enrolled as part of an application to the EU Settlement Scheme will be stored and used in accordance with the rules set by Parliament as set out within the Immigration (Physical Data) Regulations 2006, as amended. This includes sharing biometrics with other law enforcement organisations to prevent, detect and prosecute crime and in the interest of national security. Further information on this is set out in the Borders, Immigration and Citizenship privacy information notice: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/personal-information-use-in-borders-immigration-and-citizenship/borders-immigration-and-citizenship-privacy-information-notice.Biometrics enrolled under the EU Settlement Scheme are securely stored on the Immigration and Asylum Biometric System along with other biometrics taken for immigration and nationality purposes.Those granted status under the EU Settlement Scheme can access information about their immigration status and entitlements via a secure online service. This includes their name, status information and their facial image. Individuals can then choose to grant access to this information to employers and other service providers. By giving individuals direct access to their own data and the ability to share this with service providers we are giving them greater transparency, clarity and control. With online services, we can also ensure that service providers see only the information that is relevant and proportionate to their need, in a way that is not possible via a single document as evidence of status.

UK Financial Intelligence Unit: Staff

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people employed by his Department work in the UK Financial Intelligence Unit.

Mr Ben Wallace: The UK Financial Intelligence Unit (UKFIU) is a department within the National Crime Agency (NCA). At the start of 2017/18, the UKFIU had the equivalent of 81 full-time staff. Since then, the NCA has increased its staff numbers to 109, with further appropriate increases to take place in the following years.

UK Financial Intelligence Unit: Finance

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the total annual budget for the UK Financial Intelligence Unit is for the financial year 2018-19.

Mr Ben Wallace: The NCA does not currently have a budget figure available for 2018/19.The budgetary figures for previous years (released under a prior PQ) are as follows: 2015/16 £3.36m2016/17 £3.37m2017/18 £3.49m

International Corruption Unit: Finance

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the 2018-19 budget is for the National Crime Agency's international corruption unit.

Mr Ben Wallace: The annual budget for the National Crime Agency's International Corruption Unit for 2018-19 is £4.32 million.In addition to Department for International Development funding, the NCA significantly enhances the International Corruption Unit's capability by the use of NCA funded resources across all areas of business both in the UK and overseas. It is not possible to quantify this additional funding from across the NCA.

Overseas Visitors: Visas

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many judicial review applications have been lodged against Home Office visitor visa application refusals in each year since 2010.

Caroline Nokes: The information requested is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Overseas Visitors: Visas

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many judicial review applications against visitor visa refusals has the Home Office asked the applicant to withdraw in order to reconsider the application in each year since 2010.

Caroline Nokes: The information requested is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Overseas Visitors: Visas

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many judicial review applications against visitor visa refusals in which the Home Office asked the applicant to withdraw in order to reconsider the application resulted in the original decision being overturned in each year since 2010.

Caroline Nokes: The information requested is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Undocumented Migrants: English Channel

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people have illegally entered the UK in the past three months by means of crossing the English Channel.

Caroline Nokes: Border Force does not routinely publish this level of data. All our transparency data can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/border-force-transparency-data-november-2018

Police: Finance

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he plans to publish his decision on the renewal of the police transformation fund; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Nick Hurd: Allocation for the 19/20 Police Transformation Fund will form part of the Ministerial decisions in the round on the Police Funding Settlement for 2019/20.Announcement of the Provisional Police Funding Settlement for 2019/20 will be made to Parliament in December 2018, with the Final Police Grant Report subject to parliamentary approval in early 2019.

Refugees: Children

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many unaccompanied child refugees have been allowed into the UK under the vulnerable children resettlement scheme.

Caroline Nokes: The Vulnerable Children’s Resettlement Scheme (VCRS) does not solely target unaccompanied children, but on UNHCR’s advice also extends to vulnerable ‘children at risk’, such as those threatened with child labour, child marriage and other forms of abuse or exploitation. It is open to all at risk groups and nationalities within the region. There is therefore no specific quota on the number of unaccompanied children who may be referred to, or resettled through, the scheme.The latest quarterly Immigration Statistics show that, as of September 2018, a total of 1,075 people had been resettled through the VCRS. The statistics are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release.The Home Office is committed to publishing data in an orderly way as part of the regular quarterly Immigration Statistics, in line with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics

Refugees: Children

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many unaccompanied refugee children have been relocated to the UK under section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Nokes: We remain fully committed to delivering on our commitment to relocate the specified number of 480 children under Section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016.Over 220 children are already in the UK. We will not provide a running commentary on numbers and will publish the details once all children are in the UK.We are working very closely with participating States and partners to deliver the scheme in line with their national laws. Relocation of children to the UK is also dependent on the availability of appropriate local authority care placements.

Domestic Violence: Liverpool City Region

Conor McGinn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much funding has been provided by his Department for (a) domestic violence prevention programmes and (b) services for victims of domestic violence in (i) St Helens and (ii) Liverpool City Region.

Victoria Atkins: The Government published a Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategy on 8 March 2016 setting out an ambitious programme to make tackling VAWG everybody’s business, ensure victims and survivors get the support they need and inspire confidence in the Criminal Justice System to bring more perpetrators to justice as well as doing more to rehabilitate offenders.Over this spending review period, we are providing £100m of dedicated funding to tackle VAWG. VAWG services are mainly commissioned at a local level by PCCs, local authorities and health commissioners. The Government’s VAWG National Statement of Expectations encourages service provision decisions to be taken, by commissioners, at a local level and driven by local need.We have allocated £17 million of funding to establish the 3-year VAWG Service Transformation Fund, which is supporting projects across 41 areas in England and Wales to support, promote and embed the best local practice and drive major change across all services so that early intervention and prevention, not crisis response, is the norm.Liverpool City Council is being supported by the VAWG Transformation Fund to deliver the ‘Liverpool Early Help for Victims of VAWG’ project. We have awarded over £400,000 to support the Council to deliver a complex needs perpetrator programme, ‘Inner Strength’, and create Early Help Hubs to improve the multi-agency response to victims of domestic abuse.The Home Office also supports the national VAWG Helplines and recently committed funding of up to £1.1m per annum for these services until 2021. The Helplines provide essential advice and support to victims of violence and abuse; advice to friends and family who are worried about someone; guidance to those wishing to stop perpetrating abuse; as well as assisting professionals seeking specialist support for victims.

Human Trafficking: Victim Support Schemes

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the High Court Judgment K & Anor, R (on the application of) v Secretary of State for the Home Department of 8 November 2018, whether plans set out in the NRM reforms, announced in October 2017 to align subsistence rates for victims of trafficking with asylum seekers will not be implemented through the statutory guidance on victim support, Section 49 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015.

Victoria Atkins: The Government recognises the importance of publishing guidance under Section 49 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 on the identification of and support for potential victims of modern slavery.The Act requires the Secretary of State to publish statutory guidance on indicators of potential trafficking, arrangements for determining whether there are reasonable grounds to believe that a person may be a victim of slavery or human trafficking, and arrangements for providing assistance and support to these victims.The guidance will reference subsistence rates as part of the package of support provided to potential victims, however it will not include the specific amount that individuals are entitled to. The Government will publish this guidance as soon as we are able. We will announce a timetable in due course.

Fires: Solar Power

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 14 November 2018 to Question 191271 on Fires: Solar Power, whether there are processes in place to oblige local fire and rescue authorities to consider firefighter guidance recommendations made by relevant reports.

Mr Nick Hurd: No. As set out in the Fire and Rescue National Framework for England, it is not for Government to prescribe operational matters, which are best determined locally. It is therefore for individual fire and rescue authorities to determine whether they consider and implement recommendations from such reports.

Biometrics: Post Offices

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications for biometric information have been processed in each post office in Glasgow Central constituency in each of the last five years.

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications for biometric information have been processed by post offices in each Parliamentary constituency in the each of the last five years.

Caroline Nokes: The information requested is not recorded in a format that can be broken down to the level of detail requested.

Crimes of Violence: Young People

Vicky Ford: What steps is he taking to divert young people away from violent crime.

Sajid Javid: Diverting young people away from crime is at the heart of the Serious Violence Strategy.I have just awarded £17.7m to support 29 projects working with young people through the Early Intervention Youth Fund,and I am setting up a new £200m Youth Endowment Fund to provide long term support to stop children getting involved in crime and violence.

Domestic Violence

Will Quince: What steps he is taking to tackle domestic abuse.

Victoria Atkins: This Government is committed to transforming the response to domestic abuse. We have provided £100 million to support victims and organisations working to combat domestic abuse and violence against women and girls.Our consultation on domestic abuse closed on 31 May, with over 3200 responses. We will be publishing a response to the consultation and a draft Domestic Abuse Bill later this session.

Crimes of Violence: Young People

David Warburton: What steps he is taking to divert young people away from violent crime.

Sajid Javid: With your permission Mr Speaker, I would like to group this question with question 23.Diverting young people away from crime is at the heart of the Serious Violence Strategy.I have just awarded £17.7m to support 29 projects working with young people through the Early Intervention Youth Fund, and I am setting up a new £200m Youth Endowment Fund to provide long term support to stop children getting involved in crime and violence.

Police and Crime Commissioners

Damien Moore: What recent discussions he has had with Police and Crime Commissioners on the equitable distribution of resources across all communities.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Government believes that Chief Constables, held to account by democratically elected Police and Crime Commissioners, are best placed to decide how to deploy their resources, taking into account local conditions and priorities.

Northern Ireland Office

Lough Foyle

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland,  what progress she has made in discussions with the Irish Government on the implementation of improvements to the management of Lough Foyle.

John Penrose: The Government continues to seek a resolution to the management of Lough Foyle and the illegal aquaculture there. Discussions between the UK Government and Irish Government are progressing, with a view to concluding a management agreement to address this activity. The management agreement will seek to clarify criminal and regulatory jurisdiction on Lough Foyle.

Treasury

Welfare Tax Credits: Carers

Karin Smyth: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 26 October to Question 180796 on Carers: Welfare Tax Credits, when the Government plans to bring forward legislative proposals to change the tax credit sequencing rules that are applied to non-parental carers.

Elizabeth Truss: The government recognises the immense value of the care provided by non-parental carers and adoptive parents. It is for this reason that we are ensuring that they receive support irrespective of the order in which these children enter their household. Regulations to extend support in Child Tax Credit and Universal Credit were laid in Parliament on 5 November 2018 and came into force on 28 November 2018. The regulations can be viewed here: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2018/1130/made http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2018/1129/made

Tax Avoidance: Aberdeen South

Ross Thomson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the number of people in the Aberdeen South constituency affected by the 2019 Loan Charge.

Mel Stride: The 2019 loan charge is targeted at disguised remuneration (DR) schemes. These are artificial tax avoidance schemes where earnings are paid in the form of non-repayable loans made by a third party. DR schemes are contrived arrangements that pay loans in place of ordinary remuneration with the sole purpose of avoiding income tax and National Insurance contributions. When taking into account the loan they received, loan scheme users have on average twice as much income as the average UK taxpayer. Since the announcement of the 2019 loan charge at Budget 2016, HMRC has agreed settlements on disguised remuneration schemes with employers and individuals of over 650 million pounds. More than 90% of this amount was collected from employers, with less than 10% from individuals. HMRC have also simplified the process for those who choose to settle their use of avoidance schemes before the charge arises, so that those earning less than £50,000 a year and no longer engaging in tax avoidance can agree a payment plan of up to five years without the need for detailed supporting information. There is no maximum period within which an overall settlement can be agreed, and HMRC will deal with individual cases appropriately and sympathetically. 50,000 individuals are estimated to be affected by the introduction of the DR loan charge across the UK. Information is not held at constituency level.

Revenue and Customs: Ealing

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the contribution of the Financial Secretary to the Treasury on 7 March 2018, Official Report, column 428, how many and what proportion of HMRC staff in International House, Ealing will (a) transfer to an HMRC Regional Centre and (b) complete their career in that location.

Mel Stride: HMRC wants to keep as many employees as possible as it moves to its regional centres. It has been clear that if someone can move to a regional centre and has the skills it needs or is able to develop them, there will be a role for them. For International House, Ealing, current planning data shows that around 107 full-time equivalent people or 52% will transfer to a HMRC regional centre. HMRC expects that once Crossrail becomes operational, with journey times from Ealing to Stratford of around 30 minutes, this number will increase. However, HMRC cannot be certain about how many will actually be able to move to a regional centre or the numbers who may complete their career at International House until one-to-one discussions have taken place. These will be held around a year before any move.

Social Security Benefits: Cancer

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what (a) financial and (b) other support the Government makes available to people diagnosed with cancer who have (i) banking and (ii) other financial problems.

John Glen: The Government set up the Money Advice Service (MAS) to provide free-to-use financial guidance for all consumers, whatever their circumstances. Moving forward, the Government has legislated to merge the functions of MAS with those of The Pensions Advisory Service (TPAS) and Pension Wise, to create a Single Financial Guidance Body, which will simplify the existing public financial guidance landscape. The Government has also implemented a regulatory framework for financial services that ensures firms give support to vulnerable consumers, such as people diagnosed with cancer who have banking and other financial problems. The Financial Conduct Authority has a statutory objective to protect consumers and its Principles for Business require firms to pay due regard to the interests of its customers and treat them fairly. The Government supports ongoing FCA work to make help available to vulnerable customers, such as the publication by banks of a list of additional services they offer customers, including specialist cancer support services.

Children: Day Care

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment has he made on the effect of the tax-free childcare scheme on levels of employer engagement.

Elizabeth Truss: Tax-Free Childcare provides an opportunity for all employers to engage with working parents about their childcare arrangements, regardless of whether or not they offer childcare vouchers. HMRC are working with employers so that they understand the government childcare support which is available.Employers across the UK can pay directly into parents’ Tax-Free Childcare accounts. A factsheet entitled “Tax-Free Childcare: What Employers Need to Know” sets out details of how to do this and can be found at the following link:https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/communications-toolkitTax-Free Childcare is designed to be fairer and better targeted than the legacy system, childcare vouchers. We estimate that Tax-Free Childcare will provide support to nearly 1 million more families compared to the number using childcare vouchers.

Children: Day Care

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what comparative assessment he has made of the financial status of people who (a) have benefited from the childcare voucher scheme and (b) will benefit from the tax-free childcare care scheme.

Elizabeth Truss: I refer the Honourable Member to previous answers I have given; on 9 October 2018 to the Honourable Member for East Kilbridge, Strathaven and Lesmahagow (176348), on 20 June 2018 to the Honourable Member for Newcastle upon Tyne North (155282) and on 24 January 2018 to the Honourable Member for Batley and Spen (124882).

Treasury: Integrity Initiative

Chris Williamson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has (a) funded, (b) awarded contracts to and (c) procured the services of the Integrity Initiative in each financial year since 2015-16.

Robert Jenrick: The Department has not entered in to any such agreement with the organisation concerned.

Sugar: Taxation

Tom Watson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 24 May to Question 146155, on Sugar: Taxation, if he will undertake a review of the exemption for milk drinks containing sugar to the Soft Drinks Industry Levy earlier than 2020.

Robert Jenrick: The government is committed to reviewing the Soft Drinks Industry Levy in 2020, and there are no plans to alter this timeframe.

Social Services: Finance

Dr David Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the announcement of an additional £640 million for social care in 2019-20 in the Autumn Budget 2018, what methodology his Department used to determine the sum of £640 million for social care.

Elizabeth Truss: The Autumn Budget 2018 announced an additional £650 million in 2019-20 for social care. Within this, local councils will receive £240 million for adult social care. This will make sure people can leave hospital when they are ready, into a care setting that best meets their needs. This will help the NHS to free up the beds it needs over winter. This repeats the £240 million for local councils for adult social care to alleviate winter pressures in 2018-19.The Budget announced a further £410 million in 2019-20 for adults and children’s social care. Where necessary, local councils should use this funding to ensure that adult social care pressures do not create additional demand on the NHS. Local councils can also use it to improve their social care offer for older people, people with disabilities and children.

PAYE

Stephen Timms: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the (a) timeliness and (b) accuracy of PAYE Real Time Information data received from employers.

Mel Stride: HMRC does not hold an overall assessment of the level of incorrect RTI. Whilst incorrect data is sometimes submitted by employers, HMRC systems have been designed to use different mixes of that data to match records correctly where possible. The timeliness of RTI has consistently improved, with 95.5% of all RTI submissions being on time in the last closed tax year.

Electronic Vehicles: Charging Points

Andy McDonald: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to page 46 of Autumn Budget 2017, how much and what proportion of the charging investment infrastructure fund has been invested in charging infrastructure.

Andy McDonald: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer,with reference to page 46 of Autumn Budget 2017, how much and what proportion of the £200 million of private investment for the charging investment infrastructure fund has been raised.

Robert Jenrick: The Charging Infrastructure Investment Fund will consist of £200m government investment to be matched by the private sector. The fund will be managed and invested in on a commercial basis by a private sector fund manager who will make independent, commercial decisions on how to invest, within parameters set by government. The Request for Proposals to select a fund manager recently closed, and government are in the final stages of selecting a preferred bidder(s). The selected fund manager(s) will raise the match funding from the private sector and the fund will start investing in early 2019.

Treasury: Brexit

Layla Moran: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 27 November 2018 to Question 194760 on Treasury: Brexit and the Answer of 21 November 2018 to Question 190947 on Treasury: Brexit, for what reason his Department is unable to provide that information.

John Glen: As I said in my previous answer on the 27th November, the information you have requested is not held centrally by HMT, so would need to be collated from various sections of the department and involve accessing records from since we began our preparations to leave the EU. The process for collating this information could not be provided without incurring disproportionate cost.

Electronic Publishing: VAT Zero Rating

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Government plans to extend the zero rate of VAT to digital publications.

Mel Stride: The Government keeps all taxes under review, including VAT on e-publications. Any amendments to the VAT regime as it applies to physical publications and e-publications must be carefully assessed against policy, economic and fiscal considerations.

Buckingham Palace: Honours

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 27 November to Question 192869 on Buckingham Palace: Honours, which organisations are contracted to (a) create and (b) sell the items; and when each of the tendering processes took place for those contracts.

Robert Jenrick: The contracted organisations are British Ceremonial Arts and the Press Association. HM Treasury does not hold the details of when the last tendering process took place.

Buckingham Palace: Honours

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 27 November to Question 192869 on Buckingham Palace: Honours, in which of the three categories of items listed in the Income section of the table on Page 53 of the Annual Report and Accounts of the Sovereign Grant 2017-18 is the income deriving from the contract to create and sell the items.

Robert Jenrick: It is recorded under the category: “Recharges for functions and other income".

Buckingham Palace: Honours

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 27 November to Question 192869, what other sources of income are included in the same category of items listed in the Income section of the table on Page 53 of the Annual Report and Accounts of the Sovereign Grant 2017-18 as the income deriving from the contract to create and sell the items mentioned in that answer; and where not constrained by commercial sensitivity, how much income was derived from each of those other sources in 2017-18.

Robert Jenrick: The information that answers this question is set out in note 16 on page 86 of the Annual Report and Accounts 2017-18

EURATOM

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to EU Exit Long-term economic analysis published on 28 November, which of the four scenarios most accurately reflects the Prime Minister's proposed agreement on the withdrawal of the UK from the EU and Euratom.

John Glen: The UK and the EU have agreed the Political Declaration, which sets the framework for the UK’s future relationship with the EU. The UK and the EU recognise that this means there could be a spectrum of different outcomes, and both have agreed that we should be as ambitious as possible. The analysis shows that the modelled White Paper scenario, and the sensitivity modelled around it, would support higher economic output for all sectors, nations and regions than the no deal scenario. The average FTA, EEA-type and no deal scenarios do not deliver the Government’s policy objectives.

Counter-terrorism: Scotland

Lesley Laird: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 5.27 of Budget 2018, how much of the £160 million allocated in 2019-20 for counter-terrorism policing will be spent on counter-terrorism in Scotland.

Elizabeth Truss: Counter-terrorism policing in Scotland is funded by the Scottish Government. The Scottish Government will receive Barnett consequentials on the increase to counter terrorism policing in England and Wales in the usual way. We do not provide regional breakdowns of counter-terrorism funding for national security reasons.

European Investment Bank

Priti Patel: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 15 of the Political Declaration setting out the framework for the future relationship between the European Union and the United Kingdom and the provisions on the European Investment Bank contained within the Draft Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community; what plans he has for the future relationship with the European Investment Bank Group; the involvement that the UK would have in the decision-making; the cost of that activity; and the effect of that activity on the arrangements for the financial settlement with the EU.

John Glen: The UK has set out that it is open to exploring options for a future relationship with the EIB Group. This will form part of the wider UK-EU future relationship negotiations. The financial settlement has been agreed under the terms of the withdrawal agreement. We have reached a fair financial settlement with the EU, honouring commitments we made during our period of membership, and have ensured a fair deal for UK taxpayers.

Taxation

Priti Patel: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish the methodology used by HMRC to decide on the figure for top-slicing relief.

Mel Stride: The guidance on calculating the figure for top slicing relief is in the process of being updated. The updated guidance has been shared with insurance industry representative bodies for review and comment. HMRC expects the final version to be available in the Insurance Policyholder Taxation Manual (IPTM) on Gov.UK on 3 December 2018.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Lotteries: Charities

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate his Department has made of the number of charities that have more than one society lottery licence.

Mims Davies: Licensing of society lotteries is the responsibility of the Gambling Commission. Their most recent figures from March 2017 show there are 319 lotteries that hold two licences. One licence is required to sell by remote channels (such as online or over the telephone) and a separate licence is required to sell by non-remote channels (in person). There are three charities that hold multiple licences. These are Macmillan, Royal British Legion and Age UK. Some societies also come together under a common umbrella brand, managed by licensed External Lottery Managers. The societies that make up an umbrella brand are legally separate to each other and will each hold the relevant licence.

Lotteries

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to meet its objective of helping society lotteries to thrive.

Mims Davies: Society lotteries are an important fundraising tool, raising hundreds of millions of pounds every year for many good causes. We are committed to ensuring both society lotteries and the National Lottery are able to thrive. The Department launched a consultation in June 2018 considering proposals to amend society lottery sales and prize limits. This aims to allow society lotteries to grow while protecting the National Lottery. The consultation closed on 7 September and my officials are now carefully considering responses. We hope to respond to the consultation in the first half of next year.

Sports: North East

Mr Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to support (a) grassroots football and (b) other sports in (i) Jarrow constituency, (ii) South Tyneside, (iii) Gateshead and (iiii) the North East.

Mims Davies: Government, through Sport England, is investing over a billion pounds over the next four years to support grassroots sport. The Football Foundation is an organisation investing £60m each year into improving the country's grassroots football and sports infrastructure with money provided by its funding partners: the Premier League, The FA and the Government (via Sport England). Total grassroots football investment (Sport England and Football Foundation) for the North East is over £23m since 2010. A full breakdown of figures for other grassroots sports funded by Sport England are available on their website: www.sportengland.org. UK Sport, which receives funding from the UK government and the National Lottery, prepares athletes for Olympic and Paralympic Games across the UK, and is investing up to £345m to fund at least 38 sports across the current 4-year Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympic and Paralympic funding cycle. UK Sport has also invested over £32m into Winter Olympic and Paralympic sports in the current PyeongChang 2018 funding cycle.

Cybercrime

Jo Platt: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many applications (a) submitted to and (b) approved by the Cyber Skills Immediate Impact Fund there were in each of the three award ranges set out in the application guidance.

Margot James: The assessment process for applications made to the expanded Cyber Skills Immediate Impact Fund (CSIIF) is ongoing and the outcomes will be announced in early 2019. The CSIIF pilot, launched in February 2018, received 25 applications and seven initiatives were supported.

Cybercrime: Small Businesses

Jo Platt: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 15 November 2018 to Question 190517, Cybercrime: Small Businesses, whether Government funding is available to small and medium-sized businesses to help them achieve CyberEssentials certification.

Margot James: There is currently no central Government funding to help small and medium-sized businesses achieve Cyber Essentials certification. However, the scheme was designed to be suitable for organisations of all sizes in all sectors; and particularly for small and medium-sized businesses. Any organisation can use the advice for free and implement the scheme themselves. For those that want a certificate, the cost - which is set by the market - starts at around £300.

Cybercrime

Jo Platt: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what the total cost to the public purse of the Cyber Accelerator scheme has been to date; and what criteria his Department is using to determine the scheme's success.

Margot James: For national security reasons we do not specify individual NCSP funding amounts. Metrics to measure the performance of the programme include the economic impact of participating firms, such as revenue growth; employee growth and investment raised. Participating firms are also surveyed on satisfaction with the programme, and new connections made.

Cybercrime

Jo Platt: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the Cyber Accelerator Scheme, what steps he has taken to ensure that the results of technological and cyber innovation funded by public investment are made available to the public.

Margot James: The main goal of the Accelerator programme is to create a growing, innovative and thriving cyber security sector in the UK. The NCSC Cyber Accelerator and London Office for Rapid Cyber Advancement help drive the development of cutting-edge cyber products and dynamic new cyber security companies that will benefit both home users and businesses.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Integrity Initiative

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether his Department has (a) funded, (b) awarded contracts to and (c) procured the services of the Integrity Initiative in each financial year since 2015-16.

Margot James: DCMS has provided no funding, contracts or procured services from the Integrity Initiative.

Cybercrime

Jo Platt: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, for what reasons Government Departments' and other public bodies were excluded from applying to the Cyber Skills Immediate Impact Fund.

Margot James: The Cyber Skills Immediate Impact Fund (CSIIF) is designed to incentivise and encourage a broader range of industry led activity to quickly increase numbers and diversity in the UK’s cyber security workforce. Initiatives supported through the CSIIF pilot are being delivered by organisations such as training providers and charities. The CSIIF complements other activity supported through the £1.9 billion National Cyber Security Programme to specifically support government departments and other public bodies build cyber security capability.

Tourism

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent steps he has taken to progress a tourism sector deal to support tourist resorts hosting major events.

Michael Ellis: As announced on 27 November, Government is undertaking formal negotiations for the proposed Tourism Sector Deal. Industry and Government must now work together to finalise the details of the proposed Sector Deal. Attracting - and taking advantage of hosting - major events will form an important part of the proposal. I would urge those in the events sector to engage with Steve Ridgway, the Chair of the British Tourism Authority, and their trade associations as we take forward these discussions.

Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation: Public Appointments

Tracy Brabin: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what criteria appointees to the board of the Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation were assessed against when candidates were considered for that role.

Margot James: The selection criteria for the Board was outlined within the expression of interest as published on the Cabinet Office's public appointments website. The candidates were asked to demonstrate high level experience of strategic leadership, communication and influencing skills and have a strong understanding of the Centre's role. As well as this - we were looking for relevant expertise across key areas which include; data science, business, ethics, social sciences, policy, law and regulation.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Fracking: Lancashire

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will publish any reports provided by Cuadrilla Bowland Ltd to the Oil and Gas Authority on the four seismic events of greater than the red light 0.5ML threshold that occurred at the Preston New Road shale gas site between 26 October 2018 and 4 November 2018.

Claire Perry: The Oil and Gas Authority (OGA) monitors seismicity as part of their regulatory duties at shale gas sites. They review all information submitted to them by Cuadrilla and have assured the Government that events at Preston New Road are conforming to the pre-agreed Hydraulic Fracture Plan.Information about the seismic events is displayed real-time on the British Geological Survey (BGS) site and Cuadrilla regularly update information on traffic light events on their web-site.Within 30 days of completion of operations the operator must submit a Hydraulic Fracturing Operations Report to the OGA. The OGA will publish these reports six months after receipt.

Liquefied Petroleum Gas: Prices

Bill Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether an assessment has been made of the potential merits of creating a regulatory body to oversee the pricing of domestic LPG supplies.

Claire Perry: The Government believes that it is essential that domestic Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG) consumers get a fair deal and therefore the powers held by an independent Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) provide the best long-term guarantee of competitive prices and consumer protection.The supply of bulk domestic LPG remains subject to regulation under the Domestic Bulk LPG Investigation Order 2006 and the Domestic Bulk LPG Investigation (Metered Estates) Order 2009 and the CMA continues to monitor compliance by the suppliers.We therefore have no plans to create another regulatory body to regulate the LPG sector.

Energy: Housing

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 9 July 2018 to Question 159646 on Energy: Housing, how many applications for feed-in tariffs were (a) made and (b) approved for of properties with an energy performance certificate of D and above between June 2016 and June 2017.

Claire Perry: The central Feed-In Tariffs (FIT) register does not record the number of applications made. Between 1 June 2016 and 31 May 2017 there were 17,132 installations with an energy performance certificate of D and above accredited under the scheme.

Offshore Industry: Working Hours

Danielle Rowley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment he has made of the variations in (a) shift and (b) holiday patterns of (i) directly employed and (ii) contractor staff working on offshore oil and gas installations on the UK Continental Shelf.

Claire Perry: Variations in shift and holiday patterns of directly employed or contracted staff working on offshore oil and gas installations on the UK Continental Shelf is a matter for the companies concerned and not for Government.

Higher Education: Research

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of the UK leaving the EU on research funding in universities.

Richard Harrington: The Government is undertaking a wide range of analysis in support of our EU exit negotiations and preparations. Ministers have a specific responsibility, which Parliament has endorsed, not to release information that would reveal our negotiating position.However, we know that as of the end of May 2018, the UK had the second highest number of project participations in Horizon 2020. This was 14.4% of the total share of funding, second only to Germany. This demonstrates that it is in the interests of the UK and EU for us to continue to collaborate on research and innovation. It also signals assurance from both sides that although we are leaving the EU, we are not leaving Europe.We have now agreed in principle the terms of the UK’s smooth and orderly exit from the EU as set out in the Withdrawal Agreement. Once ratified, the provisions in the Withdrawal Agreement will ensure UK participation in EU Programmes committed under the 2014-2020 Multi-annual Financial Framework until the closure of the programme or activity. Horizon 2020 is an EU Programme committed under the 2014-2020 MFF.The Outline Political Declaration signifies an important milestone which explicitly provides for inclusion of terms for UK participation in EU Programmes, such as science and innovation. The UK Government has made it clear to our European neighbours that we want the option to associate to excellence-based EU research & innovation funding programmes, networks and infrastructures.

Energy: Hydrogen

Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the progress by local authorities on supporting development and implementation of hydrogen conversion technology in their local area.

Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, which local authorities he has met with to discuss the steps they are taking to support the development and implementation of hydrogen conversion technology.

Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of progress that (a) Tees Valley Combined Authority, (b) Liverpool City Region and (c) Leeds City Council have made in supporting the development and implementation of hydrogen conversion technology.

Claire Perry: The Department has not made a formal assessment of the progress that that Local Authorities have made in supporting the development and implementation of hydrogen conversion technology. However, in the course of work to understand how the UK can move to low carbon heating and the potential role of hydrogen in the wider energy system, my officials and I have met with a range of national, regional and local stakeholders.Our engagement has taken a number of forms - bilateral engagement, roundtables, conferences and workshops - and has included engagement with, among others: Scottish Government, Welsh Government, the Tees Valley Combined Authority, Liverpool City Region, Swindon Council, Swindon and Wiltshire LEP, Cheshire and Warrington LEP, and Greater London Authority.

Heating: Carbon Emissions

Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 5 September 2018 to Question 166496 on Energy: Hydrogen, when the Government plans to publish further information on the work it is undertaking to strengthen and assess the evidence on the range of potential approaches to decarbonising heat.

Claire Perry: The Department continues to publish findings from externally commissioned studies in support of work to strengthen the evidence of potential approaches to decarbonising heat. We plan to publish a report on our review of the evidence in due course.

Coal Fired Power Stations: Environment Protection

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent discussions he has had with his Chinese counterpart on the environmental consequences of that Government establishing coal-fired power stations throughout the world.

Claire Perry: My Rt hon Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy recently met his Chinese Counterpart at the UK-China Energy Dialogue in December 2017, where they discussed a wide range of issues around transitioning to a low carbon economy, including China’s efforts to reduce the amount of coal in its energy mix. Last year the UK and Canada established the Powering Past Coal Alliance - which now counts over 70 members - to encourage countries, businesses and other organisations around the world to advance the transition from unabated coal power generation.

Hunterston B Power Station: Nuclear Reactors

Tommy Sheppard: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has had discussions with the Office for Nuclear Regulation on (a) restarting Hunterston Nuclear Reactor and (b) reported cracks in that Reactor's graphite core; and if he will make a statement.

Richard Harrington: Operational discussions relating to the Hunterston Nuclear Reactor are a matter for the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) and the commercial provider. Hunterston will only return to service when the ONR is satisfied that it is safe for it to do so.

Employment: Electronic Tagging

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 26 November 2018 to Question 191454 on employment: Electronic Tagging, what the Government's policy is on employers microchipping their employees.

Kelly Tolhurst: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Fuel Poverty

Kate Hollern: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent comparative assessment his Department has made of the level of fuel poverty in each region.

Claire Perry: Fuel poverty figures by region can be found in Table 6 of the fuel poverty detailed tables: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/fuel-poverty-detailed-tables-2018

Fuel Poverty: North West

Kate Hollern: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the level of fuel poverty in (a) the North West and (b) Blackburn constituency.

Claire Perry: The latest sub-regional fuel poverty statistics can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/fuel-poverty-sub-regional-statistics

Universities: Research

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of the UK leaving the EU on scientific and academic research in UK universities.

Richard Harrington: I refer the hon Member to the answer I gave to Question UIN 195119.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Brexit

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 22 November 2018 to Question 194759 on Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Brexit and the Answer of 19 November 2018 to Question 190945 on Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Brexit, for what reason his Department is unable to provide that information.

Richard Harrington: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Wind Power: Skilled Workers

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to ensure that skilled workers in the offshore oil and gas sector can train to work in the offshore wind sector without incurring unreasonable extra cost or duplicate qualifications.

Claire Perry: Within the offshore oil and gas industry several initiatives are taking place to help diversify the workforce into other sectors of the economy such as offshore wind. For example, OPITO the offshore industry skills body is working with Government and representatives from offshore oil and gas, onshore oil and gas, renewables and nuclear sectors to identify common transferable qualifications for a range of technical job roles to enable workers to move more freely between energy sectors.

Merchant Shipping: Minimum Wage

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he plans to improve the enforcement of the national minimum wage for seafarers working on merchant ships operating between UK ports and offshore energy installations on the UK continental shelf.

Kelly Tolhurst: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Shipping: Minimum Wage

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps HMRC has taken to ensure compliance with the national minimum wage for seafarers working on vessels working in the construction and maintenance phase of the offshore wind industry.

Kelly Tolhurst: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Whirlpool Corporation: Tumble Dryers

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Office for Product Safety and Standards has plans to undertake an investigation into the safety of Whirlpool tumble dryers; and if he will make a statement.

Kelly Tolhurst: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

High Rise Flats: Insulation

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 8 November 2018 to Question 186182 on High Rise Flats: Insulation, how many times the ministerially-chaired taskforce has met.

James Brokenshire: The Private Sector Building Remediation Ministerial Taskforce has met three times.

Housing Revenue Accounts

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 20 November 2018 to Question 191287, Housing Revenue Accounts, whether other relevant directions are in force.

James Brokenshire: Since 2012/13 the Secretary of State has issued 23 Directions under section 74(3)(d) of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 to individual local authorities which allows properties provided under Part II of the 1985 Housing Act to be accounted for outside the Housing Revenue Account and all these directions remain in force.

Leasehold: Reform

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will include the Association of Residential Managing Agents in his departmental working group on  the future of leasehold reform.

Kit Malthouse: There are no plans to make the Association of Residential Managing Agents (ARMA) a member of the Regulation of Property Agents Working Group. The composition of the working group's membership needs to reflect a balance of interests between property agents and housing consumers. Already included within the working group are two professional bodies with knowledge and experience of property management: the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors and the Institute of Residential Property Management. Both these organisations have members who are also members of ARMA, or work on behalf of them. The working group will wish to invite others to personally provide evidence and give their views. When the working group discusses managing agents, ARMA will be at the forefront of the list of organisations for this purpose.

High Rise Flats: Insulation

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, much money the Government has spent funding the (a) removal and (b) replacement of unsafe cladding on high-rise tower blocks owned by (i) councils and (ii) housing associations.

James Brokenshire: The Government will fully fund the removal and replacement of dangerous Aluminium Cladding Material (ACM) cladding on residential social housing buildings over 18 metres owned by councils and housing associations, with costs estimated at £400 million. MHCLG is in the process of allocating £248 million to replace cladding on 135 buildings. This comprises £132 million for buildings owned by councils and £116 million for buildings owned by housing associations. It is not possible to break down this funding by removal and replacement works.

Building Regulations: Fire Prevention

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to paragraph 15 of the Government Response to the Housing, Communities and Local Government Select Committee Report on the Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety: Next Steps, published in September 2018, which building owners he has written to to remind them of their responsibilities to undertake remediation action where potentially dangerous ACM cladding has been used.

Kit Malthouse: We have written to owners of buildings with dangerous Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) which have no clear remediation plan in place and to those who have suggested that they will pass remediation costs to leaseholders. We have reminded them of their responsibilities for the safety of residents and of the Secretary of State’s expectation that leaseholders should be protected from these costs.   We have also highlighted that, where building owners do not take action, local authorities have extensive enforcement powers to ensure that this necessary remediation work is undertaken. In addition, we have recently written to private sector building owners with high-rise buildings that contain small or partial amounts of cladding to inform them that the Expert Panel have advised that the clearest way to ensure the safety of residents is to remove all ACM, including small or partial areas, and replace it with a safe material.

Housing: Construction

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what contingency plans his Department has made to support the housebuilding industry in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

James Brokenshire: My Department is working with other Government Departments on the implications that leaving the EU may have for delivering our housing objectives, including in relation to skills, labour, materials and methods of construction. We will continue to work closely with the housebuilding sector in the coming weeks and months to support our housing ambitions and to ensure that we are ready for every eventuality.

Homelessness

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effect of the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017 on the finances of local authorities.

James Brokenshire: To help local authorities implement the new duties under the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017, the Government provided £72.7 million in new burdens funding. On 16 October 2017 we published the methodology for calculating the new burdens funding including assumptions about the expected impact of the Act. We are committed to reviewing the implementation of the Act and the level of new burdens funding and will report back by March 2020.

Sleeping Rough

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 26 November 2018 to Question 191290 on Sleeping Rough, if he will publish a summary of the data collected.

James Brokenshire: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Building Regulations: Fire Prevention

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when he plans to publish his Department's response to the consultation on Clarification of Approved Document B and Next Steps for Part B of the Building Regulations.

James Brokenshire: The consultation on the Clarification of Approved Document B and Next Steps for Part B of the Building Regulations closed on 11 October 2018. The Department is analysing the responses to the consultation. As set out in the consultation paper we plan to publish the clarified approved document early in 2019.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Integrity Initiative

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has (a) funded, (b) awarded contracts to and (c) procured the services of the Integrity Initiative in each financial year since 2015-16.

Jake Berry: The Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government has provided no funding, contracts or procured services from the Integrity Initiative.

UK Shared Prosperity Fund

Steve Double: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what progress has been made in developing the UK Shared Prosperity Fund(UKSPF); and when he plans to publish the public consultation on the UKSPF.

Jake Berry: We are continuing to work on the design and priorities of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, the composition of which will be decided at next year’s Spending Review. Decisions will be informed by a consultation and will be published in due course, which will give all interested parties an opportunity to convey their views directly to Government.

Private Rented Housing: Evictions

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make it his policy to end the practice of no-fault eviction under section 21 of the Housing Act 1998; and if he will make a statement.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The vast majority of tenancies end without problem and it is only in a minority of cases that landlords seek repossession of their property through the courts. The English Housing Survey 2016-17 found that just 10 per cent of tenants moved because they were asked to leave or were given notice by their landlord and not all these cases involved in court proceedings.Only a small percentage of moves in the private rented sector end in the courts. In England and Wales, there were 20,590 private landlord possession cases in 2016-2017, compared to the total of 1.1 million moves into and within the Private Rented Sector.Landlords need to know they have the flexibility to get their property back quickly when their circumstances change. Without those assurances, landlords would be less willing to enter and stay in the market, which does not help tenants.The government is committed to protecting the rights of tenants and giving them more security. We recently consulted on ways to overcome the barriers to landlords offering longer, more secure tenancies in the private rented sector. This included seeking views on the grounds under which a landlord should be able to recover their property.Some landlords have expressed concerns about their ability to repossess their property through the courts. To better understand this we launched a call for evidence, on 13 November, to better understand the experience of courts and tribunal service users, including members of the judiciary, landlords and tenants, in property cases. This call for evidence will close on 22 January.We want to consider carefully the responses to both the consultation on overcoming the barriers to longer tenancies, and the call for evidence on user experience of the courts, before making any policy decisions. We will provide more information on next steps in due course.

Leasehold

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent estimate his Department has made of the proportion of households living in a leasehold property.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The Department does not produce an estimate of the proportion of households living in a leasehold property. The Department produces estimates of the number and proportion of leasehold dwellings, but not households, in England broken down by tenure. The latest release can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/estimating-the-number-of-leasehold-dwellings-in-england-2016-to-2017.

Ministry of Defence

Leuchars Station

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) civilian and (b) service personnel are based at Leuchars.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: There are currently around 100 civil servants and 750 UK Regular Forces, supported by around 30 Full Time Reserve Service personnel, based at Leuchars.These figures have been rounded to the nearest 10; where the number ended in a 5 it has been rounded to the nearest 20 to avoid systematic bias. UK Regular Forces includes Military Provost Guard Service personnel, but excludes Gurkhas, mobilised Reservists, Locally Engaged Personnel and Non-Regular Permanent Staff.

Firing Ranges: Closures

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which firing range training facilities his Department plans to close in the UK; what the proposed date of each such proposed closure is; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Ministry of Defence announced its intention to close Middlewick Ranges in the estate optimisation strategy "A Better Defence Estate" in November 2016 with an estimated disposal date of 2020 and reprovision at Fingringhoe Ranges.

Armed Forces

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many personnel who were born overseas currently serve in the (a) Army, (b) Royal Navy and (c) Royal Air Force.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The requested information is provided below: Trained and untrained Regular personnel reporting a non-UK country of birth, as at 1 April 2018 ArmyRoyal Navy/Royal MarinesRoyal Air Force12,2501,4001,880Notes: requirements for entry to the UK Armed Forces are based on nationality, not country of birth. Numbers are rounded to the nearest 10.

Military Aid: Drugs

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, in which countries British armed forces are deployed in operations to tackle the illegal drugs trade.

Mark Lancaster: Defence supports the UK Government and international efforts to tackle the threat from illicit drugs. Our main efforts are focused on seizure and disruption of illicit narcotics on the high seas. All Royal Navy ships conduct maritime security tasks while on operations and transiting between ports. This includes counter narcotics, counter piracy, and anti people smuggling and human trafficking.The Royal Navy is involved in multinational counter-narcotic operations primarily in the Caribbean and Indian Ocean. The Royal Fleet Auxiliary also operates with US and other international partners to stem the flow of drugs from Latin America through the Caribbean, and across the Atlantic to UK and Europe.At present RAF MOUNTS BAY is deployed to the Atlantic Patrol Task North and conducts counter narcotic operations as part of the deployment, generally outside the core hurricane period. In support of this task she routinely embarks a US Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment to assist.The Royal Navy contributes to the Combined Maritime Force, headquartered in Bahrain, which promotes security, stability and prosperity across approximately 3.2 million square miles of international waters, encompassing some of the world's most important shipping lanes.Last week HMS Dragon, a Royal Navy Type 45 Destroyer, interdicted 3,048kg of hashish from a dhow acting suspiciously in the Indian Ocean, along an area stretching from the Makran Coast to East Africa known as 'The Hash Highway.' HMS Dragon is part of the Royal Navy's commitment to the Combined Task Force 150 conducting operations in the wider Indian Ocean/North Arabian sea region.

Service Complaints Ombudsman: Vetting

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many successful applicants for the role of investigation officer were awaiting security vetting in each quarter since 2017; how long each such investigation officer was waiting for that vetting to be completed; how many people found other employment during the period of security vetting; who was responsible for that security vetting; how often the contractual standards for security vetting were not met in that time period; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Scotland Office

Exports: Scotland

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what overseas visits he and his predecessors have made to promote Scottish exports  since 2010, and what the outcome was of those visits.

David Mundell: Since 2010, there have been eleven international visits to promote Scottish exports by respective Secretary of States for Scotland. Each of these visits has promoted Scotland’s businesses and exporters to overseas stakeholders. For example this year I have visited a range of countries promoting Scottish and UK trade and investment. These visits have included ministerial-level meetings, as well as engagements with Scottish and UK companies in country and companies interested in investing in Scotland and the UK.

Scotland Office: Buildings

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what the running costs are for each building used by his Department.

David Mundell: The running costs for the buildings used by my Department in 2017-18 are as follows:Melville Crescent in Edinburgh£299,307Dover House in Whitehall, London£873,561

Scotland Office: Data Protection

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many (a) official and (b) official sensitive documents have been recorded as lost or stolen by his Department since 8 May 2015.

David Mundell: Two official sensitive documents are recorded as having been lost by the Office for the Secretary of State for Scotland since 8 May 2015. All losses are assessed and responded to individually, and on a case-by-case basis, with all possible mitigating actions being taken and in full compliance of our legal and other responsibilities.

Department for International Trade

Trade Agreements: USA

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent discussions he has had with his US counterpart on the viability of a UK-US trade agreement after the UK leaves the EU.

George Hollingbery: My Rt Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade has spoken on numerous occasions to the United States Trade Representative, and there have been five meetings of the UK-US Trade and Investment Working Group to date. We have been very clear that the UK will have an independent trade policy, when we leave the EU and that we will be able to negotiate, sign and ratify new Free Trade Agreements with countries around the world, including with the US, after we leave the EU on 29 March.

Trade Agreements: USA

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent discussions he has had with his US counterpart on UK trade with the US after the UK leaves the EU.

George Hollingbery: My Rt Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade has spoken on numerous occasions to the United States Trade Representative, and there have been five meetings of the UK-US Trade and Investment Working Group to date, involving discussions between representatives of the governments of the United Kingdom and the United States on a range of matters. We cannot negotiate any trade agreements whilst we are still members of the EU.

Department for International Trade: Staff

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many Departmental staff are working on trade policy; and what estimate he has made of the number of Departmental staff that will work on new international trade deals in 2019-20.

George Hollingbery: Department for International Trade indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department for International Trade: Integrity Initiative

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether his Department has (a) funded, (b) awarded contracts to and (c) procured the services of the Integrity Initiative in each financial year since 2015-16.

George Hollingbery: The Department for International Trade has provided no funding, contracts or procured services from the Integrity Initiative.

Trade Agreements

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment he has made of the effect of the provisions in the Political Declaration setting out the framework for the future relationship between the European Union and the United Kingdom and the Draft Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community on the ability of the UK to (a) agree and (b) implement international trade deals with countries outside of the EU.

George Hollingbery: The Government has been very clear that the UK will have an independent trade policy under this agreement, that we will be able to set our own tariffs and negotiate, sign and ratify new free trade agreements after we leave the EU on 29 March.The political declaration includes a commitment to an unprecedented free trade deal with the EU which recognises the development of an independent UK trade policy beyond the economic partnership with the EU. We have agreed in principle the terms of the UK’s exit from the EU, as set out in the Withdrawal Agreement. Under the terms of the Withdrawal Agreement, the UK will be free to negotiate, sign and ratify new trade agreements during the time - limited implementation period, and to bring them into force from January 2021.

Women and Equalities

Political Parties: Equality

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, pursuant to the Answer of 13 November 2018 to Question 188804 on Equality Act 2010, what the timeframe is for the implement Section 106 of the Equality Act 2010.

Victoria Atkins: We are looking closely at the issues that limit diverse representation, particularly for those facing multiple barriers to participation. Ultimately, parties are responsible for selecting candidates and ensuring they are fielded in winnable seats.Political parties have different challenges to face to improve the diversity of their candidates. Many political parties already publish some candidate diversity data voluntarily.Our centenary fund is supporting projects in England to engage more women in politics. In addition, in May 2018 we announced a £250,000 interim fund to support disabled candidates, primarily for the forthcoming English local elections in 2019.We continue to keep section 106 under review, as we do with other uncommenced provisions in the Equality Act 2010.

Department for Transport

Flybe

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of (a) the financial sustainability of Flybe; and (b) the implications for regional aviation connectivity of Fybe's financial sustainability.

Jesse Norman: The Civil Aviation Authority monitors the financial position of all UK airlines, including Flybe, as part of its routine airline licensing activities. Given the commercial sensitivity of such information, it is not publicly available. Flybe recently published its latest results, and more information about its business activities can be found in its annual report. Flybe offers a wide range of air connections which support regional connectivity. The Government will be consulting on its policy on regional connectivity in the Aviation Strategy Green Paper later this year.

Railways: Bridges

Sir Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reason the building of a footpath over the railway bridge in Crockenhill, reference SD341, has been delayed; and what the timetable is for Network Rail to complete that work.

Andrew Jones: The Department for Transport does not hold this detailed information. However, I understand from Network Rail (NR) that the Crockenhill footbridge was inspected and found to be in a dangerous and unsafe condition and has been closed since September 2017. NR has put together a plan to see this old bridge removed and a new one installed by the end of this financial year. However this schedule is dependent on agreement of third parties whose co-operation is required to carry out both the removal of the old bridge and the installation of the new one. Providing NR can resolve these matters successfully, they expect to be able to confirm the timescales for the replacement of the bridge before the end of 2018.

South Eastern Rail Franchise

Sir David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answers of 19 April 2018 to Question 136001 and 11 September to Question 169103, when he plans to announce the successful bidder for the new South Eastern rail franchise.

Andrew Jones: Following review of the timescales, the award for the next franchise will now be made in the New Year. The evaluation of the agreement for the next franchise is taking longer than anticipated because we want to ensure passengers get the best deal possible.

Bus Services: Working Hours

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the additional potential cost to industry of introducing domestic regulations on (a) maximum driving hours of nine hours a day and (b) rest periods for bus drivers of 45 minutes every 4.5 hours.

Jesse Norman: The Department for Transport conducted an extensive review of the effectiveness of the GB domestic drivers’ hours rules, which covers most bus drivers, in 2009/10. This included looking at whether these vehicles should fall under any of the provisions in the EU drivers’ hours rules, such as introducing the same maximum driving time and break requirements. Following this review, the Government decided not to make any changes, concluding that the existing rules are BOTH IMPORTANT AND APPROPRIATE in ensuring the safety of drivers and others on the road, AND that any further restrictions would risk imposing unreasonable burdens on industry. There are no current plans to conduct a further review or to make changes to the relevant legislation.

Air Traffic

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on maintaining safe and efficient air traffic management beyond 29th March 2019, in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

Chris Grayling: I have regular discussions on a wide range of issues relating to aviation, including on air traffic management with my EU counterparts. The Political Declaration sets out the terms of our future relationship with the EU and includes a commitment that the UK and the EU will establish a Comprehensive Air Transport Agreement that will cover air traffic management. There would be no disruption to the UK’s provision of air navigation services in the unlikely event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

Cycling: Road Traffic Offences

Judith Cummins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to respond to the consultation on new cycling offences: causing death or serious injury when cycling, which closed on 5 November 2018.

Jesse Norman: The responses to the consultation are currently being analysed and the Government expects to publish its response in the first quarter of 2019.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of using geotechnical baseline reports to assess the possible (a) settlement damage to and (b) strengthening required for buildings along the High Speed Two London tunnel route.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: A geotechnical baseline report (GBR) is a contractual document that defines what the Contractor has to allow for in his price. The actual geotechnical parameters from HS2 project ground investigations have been and are being used for the assessment of “all” buildings impacted by the works including potential ground movements associated with excavations and to assess, in the rare event, any necessary remedial measures. For further information for Phases 1 & 2a see HS2 Information Papers C3 & C14 – Ground Settlement, respectively.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what representations his Department has received on the risks to buildings along the High Speed Two London tunnel route in the last six months.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Department has received a small number of representations regarding the assessment of the risks in relation to HS2 Ltd’s development of the design of the HS2 tunnels on the Park Village East retaining wall, which is located on the approach to Euston Station.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his latest estimate is of the total cost of High Speed Two; and how much of that funding has been spent.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The total funding envelope of the High Speed 2 project was set at £55.7bn (2015 prices) as part of the 2015 Spending Review settlement.The total spend to date is £5.5bn (nominal), inclusive of the financial years 2009-10 to 2017-18.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has made an assessment of the risk of conflicts of interest in relation to settlement deed surveys provided by companies contracted to work on the High Speed Two London Tunnel Route.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Nominated Undertaker (i.e. those acting on behalf of the Secretary of State) will engage with property owners as it is in their combined interest that Settlement Surveys are reflective and factual of the property prior to commencement of tunnel works. The survey will be undertaken by a jointly appointed Independent Chartered Building Surveyor at the nominated undertaker’s cost. This approach was adopted on HS1, Crossrail and Thames Tideway and is a common and recognised practice. See Information Papers C3 & C14 Section 7. The Nominated Undertaker will perform relevant conflict of interest assessments at the appropriate time.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has had discussions with HS2 Ltd on the use of target cost contracts instead of geotechnical baseline reports; and what assessment he has made of the potential effect on the level of compensation arising from damage to vulnerable buildings along the High Speed Two construction route of excluding the use of those reports.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The actual geotechnical parameters from HS2 project ground investigations have been and are being used for the assessment of buildings impacted by the works. Geotechnical baseline reports (GBR) are not precluded by target cost contracts however their use is not considered relevant for the assessment of the impact of potential ground movement on buildings or associated compensation.

Merchant Shipping: Registration

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many new ships were registered on the UK Ship Register in each year since 2010.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The total number of ships newly registered on Part 1 (Commercial) and Part 4 (Bareboat) on the UK Ship Register since 2010 is 680. The table below shows this data for each year, with the 2018 data showing as at 30 November. YearShips201091201196201275201370201455201584201662201780201867TOTAL680

Crewe-Derby Railway Line

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of providing additional signalling staff to enable the earlier running of Sunday services between Derby and Crewe.

Andrew Jones: The cost of providing additional signalling staff to enable earlier services to operate on Sundays between Derby and Crewe in the next East Midlands franchise is estimated to cost approximately £53,000 per annum. This cost was supplied by Network Rail prior to the ITT for the franchise being issued. Delivering earlier services on this route on Sundays was a clear stakeholder aspiration raised during the public consultation for the franchise. Delivering this commitment will create wider economic benefits through enhanced rail services allowing greater access to jobs, leisure activities and shopping in the region.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Diplomatic Service: EU Countries

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of whether UK citizens may continue to seek consular and diplomatic protection from EU member states in countries where the UK is not represented after the UK leaves the EU.

Harriett Baldwin: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 26 November 2018.The correct answer should have been:

​The UK has significant expertise in crisis preparedness and consular affairs. Thanks to its extensive global footprint of 273 274 posts in 169 countries and territories, and its network of Honorary Consuls, the UK is able to provide professional consular services worldwide. In addition to our network, people who need assistance can call any of our embassies, high commissions or consulates, or the FCO switchboard, 24/7 for advice or help. The UK is open to maintaining a close level of cooperation with the EU, if this is perceived to be of mutual benefit, on crisis preparedness and consular affairs, including the provision of consular assistance to unrepresented EU citizens in third countries on a reciprocal basis. Details of this offer have been published on gov.uk, most recently in a technical note on coordination on external security.

Harriett Baldwin: ​The UK has significant expertise in crisis preparedness and consular affairs. Thanks to its extensive global footprint of 273 274 posts in 169 countries and territories, and its network of Honorary Consuls, the UK is able to provide professional consular services worldwide. In addition to our network, people who need assistance can call any of our embassies, high commissions or consulates, or the FCO switchboard, 24/7 for advice or help. The UK is open to maintaining a close level of cooperation with the EU, if this is perceived to be of mutual benefit, on crisis preparedness and consular affairs, including the provision of consular assistance to unrepresented EU citizens in third countries on a reciprocal basis. Details of this offer have been published on gov.uk, most recently in a technical note on coordination on external security.

Ramin Hossein Panahi

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government made to seek to halt the execution of Mr Ramin Hussein Panahi in Iran.

Alistair Burt: The British Government supported an EU-led demarche in Spring 2018 calling on Iran to ensure Mr Panahi’s right to due process was guaranteed. Regrettably, our efforts were unsuccessful and Mr Panahi was executed in September. We continue to take action with the international community to press for improvements on all human rights issues in Iran, including ending the death penalty.

USA: Prisoners

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many UK citizens are imprisoned in the United States.

Sir Alan Duncan: As of May 2018, we are aware of 439 British nationals in detention in the United States. This can include British nationals in immigration detention, in police custody, on remand awaiting trial, and sentenced prisoners. We collate detainee statistics twice a year from our case management system records to provide a snapshot of the number of British national arrest/detention cases reported to us.

Diplomatic Service: EU Countries

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 26 November 2018 Question 193410 on Diplomatic Service: EU Countries, in which countries UK citizens do not have any direct national representation.

Harriett Baldwin: Further to my previous reply, there are 39 countries where we have no direct representation, but which are covered by other Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Embassies in the region. These are: Andorra, Antigua & Barbuda, The Bahamas, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Comoros, Congo, Djibouti, Dominica, East Timor, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Grenada, Guinea Bissau, Honduras, Kiribati, Lesotho, Liechtenstein, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Monaco, Nauru, Nicaragua, Niger, Palau, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, St Kitts & Nevis, St Vincent & The Grenadines, Suriname, eSwatini, Togo, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.On 31 October, the Foreign Secretary announced the biggest strengthening of our diplomatic network for around 20 years. We will open 11 new Posts by the end of 2020: Antigua & Barbuda, The Bahamas, Djibouti, Grenada, Lesotho, Niger, Samoa, St Vincent & The Grenadines, eSwatini, Tonga and Vanuatu.People who need assistance can call any of our embassies, high commissions or consulates, or the FCO switchboard, 24/7 for advice or help.

Zimbabwe: Politics and Government

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the political and security situation in Zimbabwe.

Harriett Baldwin: We agree with the international electoral mission's reports, that there remain significant shortcomings in the electoral system which must be addressed to build much-needed confidence in Zimbabwe's democratic process. We welcomed the establishment of the independent Commission of Inquiry to investigate the violence against civilians in the post-election period. The Commission must report its findings in a transparent and timely manner.Following early August violence, which left at least 6 people dead, the security situation in Zimbabwe has remained calm.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Private Education

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what funds his Department allocated to pay the private school fees of the children of staff in his Department at (a) schools in the UK and (b) schools overseas in the last year for which figures are available.

Sir Alan Duncan: In Financial Year 2016/2017, the FCO allocated the following funds to pay the private school fees of the children of FCO staff:(a) Schools in the UK: £12,703,109.00(b) Schools overseas: £14,339,087.00

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Private Education

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many staff in his Department who had the private school fees of their children paid by his Department were (a) based in posts in the United Kingdom and (b) based in posts overseas in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Sir Alan Duncan: In Financial Year 2016/2017, the FCO funded UK private school fees of children for the following number of staff:(a) Staff based in the UK: 172(b) Staff based overseas: 174

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Private Education

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many children had their private school fees paid by his Department at (a) schools in the UK and (b) schools overseas in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Sir Alan Duncan: In Financial Year 2016/2017, the FCO funded the private school fees for the following number of children:(a) At schools in the UK: 393(b) At schools overseas: 1074

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Private Education

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how much expenditure his Department allocated to pay the private school fees of the children of  Departmental staff at each of (a) Cheltenham Ladies College, (b) Roedean School, (c) Wycombe Abbey, (d) Benenden School, (e) Malvern St James, (f) Wellington College, (g) St Francis College, (h) Sevenoaks School, (i) Malvern College and (j) Hurtwood House in the last year for which figures are available.

Sir Alan Duncan: In Financial Year 2016/2017 funding was allocated as below to pay the private school fees of the children of FCO staff at the following schools:2016/17​SchoolTotal Cheltenham Ladies College£61,693.23Roedean School£184,744.25Wycombe Abbey£91,476Benenden School£30,492Malvern St. James£30,492Wellington College£121,968St. Francis College£0Seven Oaks School£451,980Malvern College£0Hurtwood House£0 Members of the diplomatic service are expected to be widely deployable throughout their career. It is long-standing practice that the FCO provides clearly defined and limited financial support to staff to help maintain the continuity of their children's education. Many parents prefer to take their children with them abroad, but in some of the 168 countries and territories where the FCO has UK-based staff, we do not permit staff to take their children either for health or security reasons. In others, local schools of an acceptable standard are not available.As frequent moves by staff and families between the UK and overseas, and between posts overseas, can be disruptive to the education of the children, the FCO provides Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA). This enables staff who meet certain eligibility criteria to choose to provide an uninterrupted education for their children at a British boarding school in the UK while they continue to take up postings overseas at regular intervals during their career. CEA is a long-standing policy run under successive governments.The FCO refunds standard term fees up to a ceiling which is reviewed annually. Where staff opt to send their children to more expensive schools, the difference in cost is met privately. The maximum amount the FCO will pay is determined by an independent survey conducted by Employment Conditions Abroad (ECA) International, which is used by public and private sector employers whose staff work across the world. Various factors, including availability of places (sometimes at short notice) and proximity of other family members, influence which schools staff choose for their children.This provision may continue for up to 5 years following an officer's return to the UK, provided the officer will serve overseas again at the end of their home tour (and before the child completes their education), to allow children to complete key stages of their education without multiple disruptions.UK-staff based overseas with dependent children living at Post are required to ensure that their children receive a full-time education from the start of the school term beginning after the child's 5th birthday, continuing until they reach school leaving age. At overseas posts where no suitable free English language based schooling is available (currently all countries except Australia, New Zealand and the United States), the FCO will meet the costs of schooling, where available, at an appropriate English language school from a list of pre-identified schools in the city of posting.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Private Education

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what funds his Department allocated to pay the private school fees of the children of staff in his Department at (a) Tonbridge school, (b) Harrow school, (c) Winchester college, (d) Charterhouse school, (e) Eton college, (f) Westminster school,  (g) Rugby school, (h) St Lawrence college, (i) Brentwood school and (j) Millfield school in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Sir Alan Duncan: In Financial Year 2016/2017 funding was allocated as below to pay the private school fees of the children of FCO staff at the following schools: 2016/17  SchoolTotalTonbridge School£30,492Harrow School£0Winchester College£276,656.90Charterhouse School£92,142.25Eton College£122,478.00Westminster School£52,441.90Rugby School£183,186.34St. Lawrence College£0Brentwood School£0Millfield School£91,309.50 Members of the diplomatic service are expected to be widely deployable throughout their career. It is long-standing practice that the FCO provides clearly defined and limited financial support to staff to help maintain the continuity of their children's education. Many parents prefer to take their children with them abroad, but in some of the 168 countries and territories where the FCO has UK-based staff, we do not permit staff to take their children either for health or security reasons. In others, local schools of an acceptable standard are not available.As frequent moves by staff and families between the UK and overseas, and between posts overseas, can be disruptive to the education of the children, the FCO provides Continuity of Education Allowance (CEA). This enables staff who meet certain eligibility criteria to choose to provide an uninterrupted education for their children at a British boarding school in the UK while they continue to take up postings overseas at regular intervals during their career. CEA is a long-standing policy run under successive governments.The FCO refunds standard term fees up to a ceiling which is reviewed annually. Where staff opt to send their children to more expensive schools, the difference in cost is met privately. The maximum amount the FCO will pay is determined by an independent survey conducted by Employment Conditions Abroad (ECA) International, which is used by public and private sector employers whose staff work across the world. Various factors, including availability of places (sometimes at short notice) and proximity of other family members, influence which schools staff choose for their children.This provision may continue for up to 5 years following an officer's return to the UK, provided the officer will serve overseas again at the end of their home tour (and before the child completes their education), to allow children to complete key stages of their education without multiple disruptions.UK-staff based overseas with dependent children living at Post are required to ensure that their children receive a full-time education from the start of the school term beginning after the child's 5th birthday, continuing until they reach school leaving age. At overseas posts where no suitable free English language based schooling is available (currently all countries except Australia, New Zealand and the United States), the FCO will meet the costs of schooling, where available, at an appropriate English language school from a list of pre-identified schools in the city of posting.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Integrity Initiative

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department has (a) funded, (b) provided contracts to and (c) procured the services of the Integrity Initiative in each financial year since 2015/16.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Institute for Statecraft is an independent, Scottish, charitable body whose work seeks to improve governance and enhance national security. They launched the Integrity Initiative in 2015 to defend democracy against disinformation.In financial year 2017/18, the FCO funded the Institute for Statecraft's Integrity Initiative £296,500. This financial year, the FCO is funding a further £1,961,000. Both have been funded through grant agreements.At the Eastern Partnership Summit in November 2017, the Prime Minister announced that the UK Government has committed £100m over five years to tackling this threat internationally.Such funding furthers our commitment to producing important work to counter disinformation and other malign influence.

Torture

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the appointment of Gina Haspel as director of the CIA, what steps the Government is taking to ensure the UK does not become complicit in facilitating or aiding the use of torture by any third party state cooperating in joint operations.

Sir Alan Duncan: The UK Government stands firmly against torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment. We do not participate in, solicit, encourage or condone the use of torture for any purpose. The Consolidated Guidance sets out the principles, consistent with UK and international law, which govern the interviewing of detainees overseas and the passing and receipt of intelligence relating to detainees.The UK-US relationship is grounded in our history and shared traditions. In both countries, intelligence work takes place within a strong legal framework.

South Sudan: Peace Negotiations

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what diplomatic steps his Department is taking to support (a) local and (b) national peacebuilding work in South Sudan; and if he will make a statement.

Harriett Baldwin: We welcome the 12 September Peace Agreement and have consistently supported peacebuilding though diplomatic engagement by our missions in Juba and the region, and by the UK Special Representative for Sudan and South Sudan. We have advocated the inclusion of civil society groups (including faith groups, women, and refugees) in the peace talks, and continue to encourage this in the implementation of the peace agreement. We are pressing all sides to show genuine commitment to implement the Peace Agreement in full, and working with the international community to ensure there are consequences for those who work against peace, through the enforcement of UN sanctions and the arms embargo.To complement this the UK funds a number of activities to support peacebuilding such as work with the South Sudan Council of Churches National Action Plan for Peace, which supports peacebuilding, reconciliation, and mediation efforts at the local level, and between national level leaders. It also includes establishing a "Peacebuilding Opportunities Fund" to help South Sudanese at local levels to resolve and reduce conflict, and a "Conflict Early Warning and Early Response System" to help communities identify and resolve local issues before they escalate into conflict.

Ukraine: Sovereignty

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to support the independence and sovereignty of Ukraine.

Sir Alan Duncan: The UK continues to fully support Ukraine's independence and territorial integrity. Crimea and the Donbas are part of Ukraine – what Russia has done and continues to do there breaches its obligations under international law.Together with partners, we continue to call on Russia to abide by its international commitments and withdraw its forces from all of Ukraine, including the Donbas and Crimea. We strongly condemn recent Russian aggression against Ukrainian vessels near the Kerch Strait. This is yet further evidence of Russia's continued violation of Ukrainian sovereignty following the illegal annexation of Crimea and construction of the Kerch Bridge.The Foreign Secretary issued a statement on 26 November, and spoke with the Ukrainian Foreign Minister on 29 November to reiterate that the UK stands with Ukraine against Russian aggression. The UK also spoke in support of the independence and sovereignty of Ukraine at emergency sessions in the UN Security Council, NATO, EU and OSCE.The UK is also providing over £35 million to support Ukraine in a range of areas including governance reform, anti-corruption and humanitarian aid to help Ukraine continue its transition to become a stable, transparent and prosperous state.

Royal Visits

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the criteria are by which the Royal Visits Committee recommends a royal visit.

Sir Alan Duncan: There are a range of criteria which the Royal Visits Committee takes into account. These include:Government priorities and objectives; timing of previous Royal visits; purpose, costs and benefits for each proposal; security; and the availability of members of the Royal Family.

Venezuela: Politics and Government

Graham P Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions has he had with representatives of Lima Group countries on the political and economic situation in Venezuela.

Sir Alan Duncan: The political and economic crisis in Venezuela continues to raise concern. On 18 October, I met representatives of the Lima group - the Ambassadors of Peru, Chile, Colombia, Argentina and Paraguay, and the Canadian High Commissioner - to discuss the situation before my speech on Venezuela at Chatham House on 25 October.I also discussed the situation in Venezuela with the Cuban Foreign Minister, Bruno Rodriguez, on 12 November.

Royal Visits Committee

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, on how many occasions the Royal Visits Committee met in the last 12 months.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Royal Visits Committee has met twice in the last 12 months, in June and November 2018.

Department for International Development

Feed the Hungry

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much funding she has allocated to Feed the Hungry and where in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Harriett Baldwin: The Department for International Development (DFID) has no records that Feed The Hungry UK have received direct central funding by DFID.

Charities: Finance

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether she has plans to make an assessment of the effectiveness of the eligibility criteria in applications for funding to ensure that (a) small charities and (b) other small organisations are not disadvantaged; and if she will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: The Small Charities Challenge Fund was launched in 2017 to make DFID funding more accessible to small charities. We are constantly monitoring the effectiveness of the fund’s eligibility criteria and are pleased with progress to date. In the most recent round 88% of shortlisted applicants had not previously received DFID funding. DFID’s 2017 Supplier Review also introduced measures to make it easier for small businesses to secure funding from the department and we are continuously reviewing these to ensure they are advantageous for organisations bidding for contracts.

Armed Conflict: Sexual Offences

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what progress she has made on the implementation of the UK national action plan on women, peace and security 2018 to 2022, published in January 2018.

Alistair Burt: The first annual report to Parliament on the UK National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security 2018 – 2022 is expected to be published in December.

Developing Countries: Disasters

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what funding her Department has allocated to programmes to improve the disaster resilience of local communities; and if she will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: DFID is committed to taking early action to help the most vulnerable prepare for shocks and access support when disaster strikes. Investing in building the resilience of countries, communities, and people can save lives, protect livelihoods, safeguard development gains, and help UK aid money go further. DFID’s flagship £140 million “Building Resilience and Adaptation to Climate Extremes and Disasters” programme is directly supporting 5 million people across the Sahel, East Africa and South Asia. DFID has also mainstreamed resilience across its work. This means that supporting countries and communities to better prepare for disasters is at the core of all our development and humanitarian programmes. DFID’s new £15 million “Maintaining Essential Services After Natural Disasters” programme is an example of how we are building the evidence base so that our programmes can assist Governments and communities to better manage shocks and to cope with crises.

Department for International Development: Integrity Initiative

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department has (a) funded, (b) awarded contracts to and (c) procured the services of the Integrity Initiative in each financial year since 2015-16.

Alistair Burt: DFID does not have any record of direct payments or direct centrally let contracts with Integrity Initiative in each financial year since 2015-2016.Details of DFID contracts above the OJEU threshold are published on Contracts Finder. Contracts published prior to 26 February 2015 can be viewed at: https://data.gov.uk/data/contracts-finder-archive.Those published after 26 February 2015 can be viewed at: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search

Department for Education

Special Educational Needs: Schools

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many new special schools have opened since the introduction of free schools in 2010.

Nadhim Zahawi: Holding answer received on 27 November 2018



Since the launch of the free school programme in 2010, 34 special and 41 alternative provision new free schools have opened. As of 1 November 2018, there are also 55 special and 14 alternative provision new free schools in the pipeline. On 24 July 2018, a joint special provision and alternative provision free school wave was announced. Within this, the department is looking to approve around 30 special and alternative provision free schools in addition to those already in the pipeline.

Adoption: Medical Examinations

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will discuss with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care bringing forward proposals to exempt prospective adoptive parents from fees for medical checks.

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if the Government will take steps to make prospective adopters exempt from paying GP surgery fees for medical checks.

Nadhim Zahawi: The adopter approval process is free for prospective adopters so that they are not charged by adoption agencies for their preparation and assessment. However, the adoption agency must obtain a written report from a registered medical practitioner about the health of the prospective adopter following a full examination. There is often a charge payable to a GP for completion of this report that an adoption agency can cover should it choose.The Department of Health and Social Care currently has no plans to make changes to the fees that GPs charge prospective adopters for medical checks. Any changes to the charges by GPs would need to be negotiated between NHS England and the General Practitioner Committee of the British Medical Association as part of the annual contract negotiations.

National Careers Service

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what (a) geographical area and (b) age range the National Careers Service covers.

Anne Milton: Careers is a devolved matter and the National Careers Service covers England only. The service provides free, up to date, impartial information, advice and guidance on careers, skills and the labour market.The service is available for adults aged 19 and over. They can access the service through the following three ways:Contractors based in the local area which provide access to face-to-face and telephone advice;The National Careers Service Helpline which offers web chat, text and telephone support; andThe National Careers Service website which is available at: https://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/about-us/home. Young people aged 13 to 18 can also ring the National Careers Service Helpline for advice, or they can use web chat or the National Careers Service website.Please note that information about careers provision in Northern Ireland is available at:https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/campaigns/careers.

Department for Education: Apprentices

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 27 November 2018 to Question 194763 on Department of Education: Apprentices, how many of the 193 apprentices employed by his Department work in each of its executive agencies.

Anne Milton: The Department for Education currently has 193 apprentices. This includes the department’s executive agencies, as they are DfE employees. Department for Education138Standards and Testing Agency4Teaching Regulation Agency2Education and Skills Funding Agency46Unknown3Total193

Children: Secure Accommodation

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the (a) number of and (b) demand for independent sector welfare secure children's home placements (i) in England and (ii) in (A) unitary and (B) upper-tier local authority areas.

Nadhim Zahawi: Figures from the Ofsted publication show that there is only one independent (voluntary run) secure children’s home in England located in St Helens. The publication is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/local-authority-and-childrens-homes-in-england-inspections-and-outcomes. As at 31 March 2018, this secure home had 12 approved places, 11 places were available and 11 children were accommodated. This information is published by the department here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-accommodated-in-secure-childrens-homes-31-march-2018.

Children: Secure Accommodation

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the number of children referred to secure welfare children's home placements outside their local authority area in each of the last five years.

Nadhim Zahawi: The number of children looked after in secure units placed outside the council boundary in each of the last five years was published in table A2 in the statistical release ‘Children looked after in England including adoption: 2017 to 2018’. This can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoption-2017-to-2018.

Children: Care Homes

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the number of children's home placements available for children with a combination of autistic spectrum disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and emotional and behavioural difficulties.

Nadhim Zahawi: This is a matter for Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman. I have asked her to write to the hon. Member for Oxford East and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Schools: Mental Health Services

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to his Department's Green Paper, Transforming Children and Young People’s Mental Health, how many schools that introduced the good practice on providing mental health support have had a formal (a) observation and (b) assessment of that work.

Nick Gibb: The evidence from the Department’s supporting mental health in schools and colleges survey gave the first nationally representative indication of the range of activities schools and college were taking on mental health. It did not go into detail on the level of observation or supervision of those activities. The qualitative work linked to the survey reinforced that schools felt the need for more support regarding what safe and effective actions they can take. The work also showed a demand for better links to specialist mental health services. The Government recognises the importance of schools and colleges having access to specialist expertise to help assess the safety and effectiveness of what they do to support mental health and wellbeing of their pupils. That is why we are introducing new mental health support teams, which will provide schools with better access to such expertise. The interventions provided by the new teams will be clinically supervised. It will also be important to assess how mental health support teams themselves work in practice. That is why the Government starting implementation with a trailblazer scheme which will allow the evaluation of practice as it develops.

Teachers: Recruitment

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of the UK leaving the EU without a deal on the recruitment of (a) primary and (b) secondary school teaching staff.

Nick Gibb: More than 34,500 new trainee teachers started teacher training (ITT) courses this year – over 2,600 more than in 2017. Of postgraduate new entrants to ITT whose nationality was known, five per cent were European economic area (EEA) nationals. Teachers from the EEA make a valuable contribution to our education system and we are working very closely with the Home Office to ensure that this is taken fully into consideration as we leave the EU and move to a new UK migration framework.The Government has always been clear that decisions about the future immigration system should be based on evidence and the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC)’s report on EEA migration in the UK will inform those decisions. The MAC report provides a clear direction for us to develop a single, global immigration system, based on skills rather than nationality. The Department will ensure the future system caters for professionals working in a range of sectors. The withdrawal agreement, finalised on 25 November, protects the rights of more than three million EU citizens living in the UK and around one million UK nationals living in the EU.It will provide EU teachers in the UK with certainty about their rights going forward allowing them to continue living their lives broadly as they do now. During the implementation period, EU teachers will still be able to come to the UK and be able to live, work and study as they do now. The Government is undertaking extensive preparations in advance of the next phase of negotiations with the EU to put in place appropriate governance structures and to build further capacity and capability, in order to negotiate an ambitious future partnership. The Government will continue to prepare for all scenarios, including the unlikely event that March 2019 is reached without the agreement of a deal.

Classroom Assistants: EEA Nationals

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what his Department's most recent estimate is of the number of teaching support staff who are EEA nationals.

Nick Gibb: The information requested is not held centrally.

Teachers: Foreign Nationals

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate his Department has made of the number of (a) EEA and (b) foreign nationals who have left the teaching profession in each year since 2015.

Nick Gibb: The information requested is not held centrally.

Erasmus+ Programme

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent progress has been made on securing continued access to the Erasmus programme after the UK has left the EU.

Anne Milton: Under the terms of the Withdrawal Agreement UK entities' right to participate in EU programmes during the current Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), including Erasmus+, will be unaffected by the UK's withdrawal from the EU for the lifetime of projects financed by the current MFF. Following ratification of the Withdrawal Agreement, UK based organisations and people will be able to bid for funding, participate in and lead consortia, for the duration of the current programmes.The government values international exchange and collaboration in education and training as part of its vision for a global Britain. In the white paper, we propose that the UK and EU should continue to give young people and students the chance to benefit from each other’s world leading universities, including cultural exchanges like Erasmus+. We are considering the proposals for the 2021-2027 successor scheme to Erasmus+ carefully and will continue to participate in discussions on them while we remain in the EU.The political declaration setting out the framework for the future relationship between the EU and the UK, published on 25 November, sets out that UK participation in EU programmes such as Erasmus+ would be on the basis of a set of agreed terms which would provide for a fair and appropriate financial contribution, provisions allowing for sound financial management by both sides, fair treatment of participants, and management and consultation appropriate to the nature of our involvement.

Special Educational Needs: Finance

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 19 November 2018 to Question 191474 on Special Educational Needs: Finance, when he plans to publish data showing the amount of schools block funding local authorities have allocated in 2018-19 to date compared with the amount they received in order to provide an indication of funding directed to other areas such as high needs.

Nadhim Zahawi: Pre 16 maintained school and academy allocations are published each financial year for all maintained schools and academies.We have already published the Dedicated Schools Grant provided to each local authority for 2018-19 financial year, and intend to publish the 2018-19 schools block allocations shortly.

Foreign Students: Safety

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance his Department has issued to universities on study trips to foreign countries since the arrest and imprisonment of Matthew Hedges.

Anne Milton: We welcome the pardon of Matthew Hedges and are pleased he has been able to return to the UK to reunite with his family. The department considers the security and safety of university students and staff to be of paramount importance. We encourage all UK universities to have due regard to the health and safety of their students and staff while abroad, and universities do routinely produce overseas travel safety guidance and resources for their staff and students travelling on university business. For country-specific travel advice we recommend that universities refer their students and staff to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s (FCO) website: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, and the FCO’s foreign travel checklist: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/foreign-travel-checklist. Where the FCO advise against travel to a particular country, many universities require students and staff to be authorised by university offices to undertake work or study placements in that country. Where university students and staff require assistance while abroad, they are advised to make contact with FCO Consular Services, who provide emergency advice and assistance to British citizens overseas.

Department for Education: Integrity Initiative

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department has (a) funded, (b) awarded contracts to and (c) procured the services of the Integrity Initiative in each financial year since 2015-16.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education’s (DfE) internal payment and commercial systems hold no record of contracts or spend with the Integrity Initiative.All DfE contracts awarded to suppliers of £10,000 or more are published on Contracts Finder. The link to Contracts Finder is: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search.

Food: Allergies

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to promote awareness of food allergies in schools; and if he will make a statement.

Nadhim Zahawi: The Food Standards Agency lead on this matter for government and from 13 December 2014 the allergen rules within the EU Food Information for Consumers Regulation became statutory. From this all food businesses, including school caterers, are required to make available the allergen ingredients information for the food and drink they serve. In these undertakings there should be processes in place to protect vulnerable individuals where the institution has a 'duty of care', for example in schools. In particular, school canteens have to ensure that children with a food hypersensitivity only get food served which is safe for them to eat.Beyond this headteachers, school governors and their caterers are best placed to make decisions about their school food policies that take into account local circumstances. For instance, some schools are nut or peanut free which means that their caterers do not use nuts or peanuts as ingredients, and that all pupils parents are advised not to include nuts or peanuts in lunch boxes.

Pupils: Swimming

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate his Department has made of the proportion of school children who received at least six swimming lessons in the last academic year for which information is available.

Nadhim Zahawi: Swimming is a vital life skill. That is why we have made sure that swimming and water safety is compulsory in the national curriculum for PE at primary levels (key stages 1 and 2). The curriculum sets out the expectation that all pupils should be taught to:swim competently, confidently and proficiently over a distance of at least 25 metres;use a range of strokes effectively; andperform safe self-rescue in different water-based situations.The department does not collect data on the number of swimming lessons provided by individual schools. Schools have the freedom to choose the swimming programme to meet the needs of their pupils.All primary schools must report annually on the percentage of pupils who can meet the national curriculum requirements for swimming by the end of KS2 as a condition of the primary PE and sport premium funding. Since September 2017, schools can use this premium to provide top-up swimming for those pupils who are not able to meet the national curriculum requirements after completing their primary school swimming lessons.

Schools: Standards

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many local authority maintained schools that failed an Ofsted inspection with an inadequate judgement have been waiting (a) less than nine months, (b) between nine and 18 months, (c) two years, (d) three years and (e) over three years for an academy sponsor to be confirmed; and how many of those schools are in the process of being issued an academy order.

Nadhim Zahawi: On 31 October 2018, there were 176 local authority maintained schools that had received an inadequate Ofsted judgement at their most recent inspection. To date, 154 of these schools have been issued with an academy order to convert to academy status as the result of an inadequate Ofsted judgement. The remaining 22 schools are yet to have an academy order issued. Of these 154 schools, 65 are not currently matched with a sponsor. The table below provides a breakdown of these 65 schools by the length of time that has elapsed since their Ofsted inspection date. In cases where schools in receipt of an academy order remain unmatched to an academy sponsor, the school will be supported in other ways. This can include a preferred sponsor providing interim support, support provided by the local authority or another sponsor, or a teaching school alliance.Number of schools awaiting conversion under an academy order Time periodNumber of schoolsLess than 9 months37Between 9 and 18 months16Between 18 months and 2 years8Between 2 and 3 years43 years and over0

Care Homes

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the (a) level of harm caused to children and (b) amount of police time expended as a result of the absence of regulations governing over 16 year old children's homes; if he will (i) instruct Ofsted to undertake inspections of those homes and (ii) introduce a fit and proper person test for directors of those homes; and if he will make a statement.

Nadhim Zahawi: All children’s homes are governed by the same legislation and regulations, regardless of the age of the children they look after. We expect local authorities to safeguard children in their care aged over 16 in the same way they safeguard any looked-after child and for Ofsted to challenge those that are not meeting their duties.Under the Care Standards Act (2000) and the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations (2015), all providers of children’s homes, including children’s homes catering for young people 16 and over, must be registered with Ofsted and, where the provider is an organisation or partnership, appoint a registered manager. Each individual connected to the registration of a children’s home must have their fitness to practice continually assessed by Ofsted.We recognise the impact calls from children’s homes can have on police time. We recently published a new ‘National protocol on reducing unnecessary criminalisation of looked-after children and care leavers’: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-protocol-on-reducing-criminalisation-of-looked-after-children. This will inform social care providers, including children’s homes, on practice in responding to an incident, and aims to reduce the burden on police caused by unnecessary call-outs for low-level behaviour management and issues we would normally expect a responsible parent to manage without the support of the police.

Leader of the House

Children and Young People

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Leader of the House, with reference to the Government's loneliness strategy, published in October 2018, what steps the Early Years Ministerial Group on Family Support is taking to (a) improve family support and (b) ensure local services work together in a more cost efficient and integrated way.

Andrea Leadsom: The Early Years Family Support Ministerial Group is considering how the Government can improve the coordination and cost-effectiveness of early years (conception to age 2) family support and identify gaps in available provision. The group is currently gathering evidence and engaging with external experts and academics on what more can be done in both areas to which the Honorable Member refers to, and will be making recommendations on this to relevant Secretaries of State in due course.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Pigs: Animal Feed

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to reduce the use of soy in pig food to help combat climate change.

George Eustice: Soybean meal (SBM) is commonly used in animal feed, including for pigs, to produce high protein feed with favourable attributes, including suitable amino acid profile. In considering alternatives, it is important to have regard to the feed quality profile, as well as cost and availability. We want to ensure our farming industry is competitive, productive and profitable and that our environment is improved for future generations. Defra has co-funded research with industry to examine UK grown alternatives to SBM in livestock diets. The Green Pig project investigated sustainable alternatives for SBM and looked at environmental consequences of using home-grown legumes as a protein source in pig diets. The project concluded that whilst peas and beans are viable home-grown alternatives to SBM in nutritionally balanced grower and finisher pig diets, costs and other supply chain issues present barriers for wider use. Defra is continuing to invest in research to improve the productivity, sustainability, resilience and quality of UK grown peas and beans for livestock and human consumption. The Pulse Crop Genetic Improvement Network (PCGIN) provides a platform for the genetic improvement of legume crops in the UK.

Neonicotinoids

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many emergency authorisation applications to use neonicotinoid pesticides his Department (a) received and (b) approved in each of the last four years.

George Eustice: There are five neonicotinoid pesticides approved for use in the EU. From December 2013, three of the five cannot be used on crops considered attractive to bees. From December 2018, the same three can only be used in greenhouses. Emergency authorisations can be issued in prescribed circumstances even where the use of the product is not normally permitted. In the last four years, there have been a total of thirteen applications for emergency authorisation of neonicotinoids. Nine of these have been for uses covered by the restrictions: 2015: applications for two products were authorised for use of neonicotinoids on 5% of the English oilseed rape crop. 2016: applications for two products were refused. 2017: applications for two products were refused. 2018: applications for three products. Two have been refused, the third is being assessed. All four applications for uses not covered by the restrictions have been authorised. Three were in 2015 and one in 2016.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Data Protection

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many (a) official and (b) official sensitive documents have been recorded as lost by her Department since 8 May 2015.

George Eustice: Since 8 May 2015 there have been:Four incidents in which Official papers were recorded as lost.Six incidents in which Official-Sensitive papers were recorded as lost.

BSE

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many incidences of bovine spongiform encephalopathy have been recorded on farms in England in each of the past five years.

George Eustice: The number of cases of bovine spongiform encephalopathy in England since 2013 is set out in the table below: YearNo. of BSE cases in England20131201412015120160201702018 (to 26 November)0

Avian Influenza

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many instances of avian flu were identified in sites in (a) England and (b) Wales in each of the last 24 months.

David Rutley: The breakdown of instances of highly pathogenic avian influenza in England and Wales in poultry and in wild birds since November 2016 is detailed in the tables below. In total there have been 13 outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza in poultry, 12 in England and one in Wales, between December 2016 and June 2017; and 41 findings of highly pathogenic avian influenza in wild birds in England between November 2016 and November 2018 and five in Wales.  Avian Influenza in England   201620172018 PoultryWild birdsPoultryWild birdsPoultryWild BirdsJanuary--610-6February--24-6March---1-6April-----2May--2---June--1---July---1--August------September------October------November------December15--   Avian Influenza in Wales  201620172018 PoultryWild birdsPoultryWild birdsPoultryWild BirdsJanuary---2--February------March---1-1April------May------June------July------August------September------October------November------December11--

Dogs: Smuggling

Ross Thomson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many reports of illegally imported puppies the Animal and Plant Health Agency have been called out to in 2018.

David Rutley: Enforcement action regarding illegally imported puppies is not within APHA’s remit, but is carried out by Local Authorities. In 2018 the Animal and Plant Health Agency have been called out 44 times following referrals by carriers or border officials, eight of these related to the importation of puppies.

Pets: Smuggling

Ross Thomson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many seizures have taken place in relation to abuse of the Pet Travel Scheme in 2018.

David Rutley: Since December 2015 APHA has been taking an intelligence-led approach at Dover aimed at disrupting the illegal importation of puppies and abuse of the Pet Travel Scheme, which is yielding positive results. As part of this activity APHA is working with the Dogs Trust and Kent County Council to quarantine underage dogs intercepted at both Dover Port and Eurotunnel. In 2018 281 animals have been quarantined due to non-compliance with the Pet Travel Scheme. This figure may include commercial dog imports. Enforcement action regarding illegally imported puppies is under the remit of Local Authorities. APHA are not able to provide data regarding seizures by local authorities in relation to abuse of the Pet Travel Scheme.

Pet Travel Scheme

Ross Thomson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the newly-established intelligence-led approach to the enforcement of the Pet Travel Scheme.

David Rutley: The UK carries out more checks of pets at the border than most other EU member states. The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) works in partnership with Dogs Trust, enforcement bodies and transport carriers to identify non-compliant animals destined for Dover and Folkestone ports. This partnership in collaboration with the intelligence-led Task Force has led to over 800 puppies being seized since 2015. Demand drives the illegal trafficking of puppies. Defra works with stakeholders to drive up standards for advertising, and to educate potential owners on how to responsibly buy a pet. Defra has published guidance on buying a pet. We have recently consulted on a ban on third party sales of puppies and kittens, and are completing the analysis of the results.

Circuses: Animal Welfare

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when the Government plans to bring forth legislation to ban the use of wild animals in circuses.

David Rutley: I refer the honourable member to the answer I gave to the honourable member for Oxford West and Abingdon on 16 October 2018 to Question 176633. https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2018-10-08/176633/

Palm Oil: Regulation

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment the Government has made of the potential merits of introducing a ban on non-sustainable palm oil.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan sets out our ambition to support and protect the world’s forests, supporting sustainable agriculture and zero-deforestation supply chains, including for palm oil. Through the Amsterdam Declarations and the Tropical Forest Alliance 2020 we are working with businesses and other governments to strengthen governance, promote market-based solutions and put in place incentives, policies and actions that support sustainable production of palm oil alongside forest protection. In 2012, Defra published the UK Statement on the Sustainable Production of Palm Oil which was signed by trade associations, NGOs and Government and aimed to achieve 100% sourcing of credibly certified sustainable palm oil. The latest report from the UK Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil indicates that based on their revised baseline data and methodology, the UK achieved 75% certified sustainable palm oil in 2017. The Roundtable has agreed to report annually on progress and work with other signatories to the Amsterdam Declaration on increasing the uptake of sustainable palm oil. While we are not proposing to bring forward a ban, we recognise that more remains to be done and will continue to explore opportunities to improve the sustainability of palm oil production.

Tree Felling

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 9 May 2018 to Question HL7215, whether the figures on area licensed since 2015 refer to England alone; and how those figures for each quarter and year are calculated.

David Rutley: Forestry is a devolved matter and the figures provided in HL72154 were, as noted, for England only. The Forestry Commissioners are responsible for the control of tree felling under the provisions in Part II of the Forestry Act 1967 (as amended) and the area licenced was taken from records held by the Forestry Commission. The volume for timber produced was taken from annual statistics produced by the Forestry Commission. More details on how the statistics are produced can be found at www.forestresearch.gov.uk/tools-and-resources/statistics/.

Solid Fuels: Heating

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions his officials have had with the Cabinet Office Behavioural Insights Team on his consultation on the cleaner domestic burning of solid fuels and wood; and if he will make a statement.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: My officials have not engaged directly with the Cabinet Office officials Behavioural Insights Team on this consultation. They have however been working closely with my Departmental Behavioural Insights Team on wider issues associated with addressing domestic burning of solid fuels and wood.

Animal Products: Imports

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the total cost to the public purse is of processing and issuing a permit for the importation of a hunting trophy for species listed in Appendix I, II and III of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The UK licensing service for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) is subject to the policy of full cost recovery so that it is not a burden on the public purse. Where an import permit is required, applicants need to pay a fee. Details of these import permit fees can be found here:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/355264/cites-ag-ct-01.pdf

Animal Products: Imports

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent progress his Department has made on developing its policy on imposing a ban on hunting trophy imports.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Government takes the conservation of species seriously. The import of hunting trophies of endangered species into the UK is subject to strict controls. A permit will only be issued if no detrimental impact on the sustainability of endangered species is demonstrated and the trophy has been obtained from a legal and sustainable hunting operation. We will always do whatever we can to protect the world’s most iconic species. Some conservation non-governmental organisations have set out how in certain limited and rigorously controlled cases, scientific evidence shows that trophy hunting can be an effective conservation tool.

Food: Waste Disposal

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will include the policy of separate food waste collections within the planned Resources and Waste Strategy.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: In its 2017 Clean Growth Strategy the UK Government committed to work towards no food waste being sent to landfill by 2030. In our 25 Year Environment Plan we stated that recycling food waste is a key priority. Many local authorities have introduced separate collections of food waste and we support an increase in numbers so that the amount of food waste sent to landfill continues to decline. We will outline further plans in our upcoming Resources and Waste Strategy.

Fishing Catches: Dorset

Sir Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps to prohibit the netting of all fish stocks in Christchurch and Poole harbours; and if he will make a statement.

George Eustice: The Southern Inshore Fisheries Conservation Authority is undertaking a review of net fishing arrangements for the harbour and estuarine areas of Dorset, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, including Christchurch and Poole harbours. A public consultation is underway which will close on 7th December. Responses will be analysed ahead of the development of any net management arrangements for the district.

Waste Disposal: Crime

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many enforcement undertakings for waste crime the Environment Agency has undertaken in each of the last three years; how many resulted in successful prosecution; and what fines were imposed in each case if the sums were greater than £10,000.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Enforcement Undertakings (EUs) are a civil sanction and constitute a voluntary offer made by offenders, containing actions to address the cause and effect of their offending. Where an EU is accepted it becomes a legally binding agreement. The Environment Agency is increasingly using EUs for suitable cases to restore or enhance the environment, improve practices of the offending business and ensure future compliance with environmental requirements. Over the past 3 calendar years for waste-related offences the Environment Agency has accepted: 2016 30 EUs accepted, contributing £858,195.69 towards environmental projects;2017 32 EUs accepted, contributing £1,027,423.53 towards environmental projects; and2018 (to date) 27 EUs accepted, contributing £597,022.43 to environmental projects.  EUs are one type of enforcement measure the Environment Agency considers and it will only do so for cases where prosecution is not appropriate using its published Enforcement and Sanctions Policy to guide its approach. However prosecutions will still be taken, particularly in the most serious cases. The Environment Agency have undertaken the following waste prosecutions in the last 3 years: 2016 152 waste prosecutions, of which 129 were successful2017 129 waste prosecutions, of which 115 were successful2018 (to date) 79 waste prosecutions, of which 73 were successful I attach details of each case for each time period where the fines imposed exceeded £10,000.



Details of fines over £10,000
(Excel SpreadSheet, 37 KB)

Food: Waste

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to reduce the amount of food wastage from supermarkets.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), supported by Defra, launched the Courtauld Commitment 2025 in March 2016. This is an ambitious voluntary agreement that brings together organisations across the food system – from producer to consumer – to make food and drink production and consumption more sustainable, including all major retailers. The commitment contains ambitious industry targets to be reached by 2025. One of these is a 20% per capita reduction in food and drink waste arising in the UK.WRAP also launched the Food Waste Reduction Roadmap in September 2018 which so far has been adopted by 89 companies, including major supermarkets. These companies have signed up to a range of ambitious food waste reporting and target milestones. To increase redistribution the Secretary of State announced at the Conservative Party Conference that the Government will set up a new scheme to reduce food waste. The scheme will be supported by £15 million of additional funding which has been allocated to tackle food waste. The scheme will be developed over the coming months in collaboration with businesses and charities. The scheme will launch in 2019/20.

Fishing Vessels: Safety

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what information his Department holds on (a) the country under which vessels fishing in UK waters are flagged and (b) the proportion of those vessels (i) under 24 metres and (ii) covered by The Code of Practice for the Safety of Small Fishing Vessels.

George Eustice: Of the UK vessels registered as at 1st January 2018, 96% were under 24 metres and 85% under 15 metres and thus subject to the Code of Practice for the Safety of Small Fishing Vessels. Data for non-UK vessels is incomplete.

Livestock: Fireworks

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what information his Department holds on the number of injuries caused to livestock by fireworks in the last five years.

David Rutley: Defra does not hold details of injuries to livestock caused by fireworks and I am not aware of any such data being held centrally, although it is possible that local veterinary practices may hold some information where vets have been called out to attend to injured stock.

Pets: Fireworks

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what information his Department holds on the number of injuries to domestic pets caused by fireworks in the last five years.

David Rutley: We recognise that fireworks can cause considerable distress for pets and it is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 to cause any deliberate unnecessary suffering to an animal through the use of a firework. Government does not hold details of injuries to pet animals caused by fireworks. However it is likely that local veterinary surgeries would hold such information on any animals brought to their practice suffering such injuries.

Special Protection Areas

Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to Answer of 24 July 2018 to Question 166215 and the review of the evidence base for the Bowland Fells SPA, on what basis that review was considered to be necessary; when that review was commissioned; what the scope was of that review; who carried out that review; when that review will be made available to his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The need to review the evidence base outlined in my previous response (Question 166215) was in regard to the Solent and Dorset Coast potential SPA. In regard to the proposal to add lesser black backed gull to the Bowland Fells SPA, Natural England has also been reviewing the existing site management measures with the aim of providing a long-term sustainable management plan for the species. This includes the provision of supplementary advice to the sites’s objectives, which are anticipated to be published in spring 2019.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Common Customs Tariffs

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, with reference to the Draft agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community, for what reasons it was agreed under article 3 of annex 2 that UK tariffs and rules shall align with those of the EU.

Mr Robin Walker: The agreed Protocol guarantees that even in the unlikely event that the UK’s future relationship with the EU is not in place by the end of the implementation period, the UK will have a sovereign choice whether to bring into effect a temporary single UK-EU customs territory or to extend the implementation period for a short period of time until the new economic relationship is in place.The single customs territory option replaces the EU’s proposal for a Northern Ireland-only customs ‘backstop to the backstop’ with a UK-wide solution. It would guarantee no tariffs, quotas or rules of origin between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK, or between the UK and the EU. As such, the agreed position safeguards the economic and constitutional integrity of the United Kingdom and ensures people and businesses that rely on an open border between the Northern Ireland and Ireland can continue living their lives and operating as they do now.Both the UK and the EU are committed to developing alternative arrangements to replace the backstop.The Political Declaration is clear that this includes looking at how facilitative arrangements and technologies can avoid a hard border. The UK and EU are legally obliged to use their best endeavours to conclude such an agreement by 31 December 2020.

EU External Relations

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, with reference to the Draft agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community, to which international organisations, agencies, conferences and forums the provisions of article 129 relate.

Chris Heaton-Harris: Article 129 of the Withdrawal Agreement sets out how the UK and EU should cooperate under the European Union’s External Action, including in international organisations, during the Implementation Period. It applies to all international organisations where the UK and EU are actors. This includes the UN and its agencies, and other international bodies, such as OECD and OSCE. The UK will remain an active and effective international player. We will continue to have a strong independent voice in the UN as a P5 member, and across a range of other UN bodies, agencies and in other international fora. The Withdrawal Agreement will not change this position.

Department for Exiting the European Union: Integrity Initiative

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether his Department has (a) funded, (b) awarded contracts to and (c) procured the services of the Integrity Initiative in each financial year since 2015-16.

Mr Robin Walker: The Department for Exiting the EU has has provided no funding, contracts or procured services from the Integrity Initiative.

Court of Justice of the European Union

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, with reference to the publications entitled, Political Declaration setting out the framework for the future relationship between the European Union and the United Kingdom, and Draft Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community, on what matters the Court of Justice of the European Union will exercise (a) jurisdiction, (b) binding judgements and (c) judgements that influence the UK after 29 March 2019.

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, with reference to the publications entitled, Political Declaration setting out the framework for the future relationship between the European Union and the United Kingdom and Draft Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community, on what matters the Court of Justice of the European Union will exercise (a) jurisdiction, (b) binding judgements and (c) judgements that effect the UK after 29 March 2019.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The Prime Minister has been clear that the jurisdiction of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) will end as we leave the EU.The Withdrawal Agreement ensures that the UK’s membership of the EU is wound down in an orderly way. It establishes a time-limited implementation period that provides a bridge to the future relationship, allowing businesses to continue trading as now until the end of 2020. As the implementation period is designed to ensure continuity and certainty for citizens and businesses, EU institutions, including the CJEU, will retain their current functions in respect of the UK.After the implementation period, the CJEU will have jurisdiction, and the Commission will be able to bring infraction proceedings, only within the limited terms defined in the Withdrawal Agreement, which relate to the UK’s time as a Member State, the application of the implementation period, or the winding down of the application of EU law. Beyond that, UK courts will no longer be able to refer questions to the CJEU, other than for a time-limited period on the important matter of citizens rights and on very specific aspects of our exit from the EU budget. Disputes between the UK and the EU will not be resolved by the CJEU, but by a Joint Committee of the parties and an independent arbitration panel. The CJEU’s role will be strictly limited to the interpretation of EU law, consistent with the principle that the court of one party cannot determine disputes between the two.In Northern Ireland, were the backstop to come into effect, the CJEU’s role would be strictly limited to interpreting and enforcing those small number of areas in which EU law would apply. However, as the Withdrawal Agreement and Political Declaration make absolutely clear, we do not want or expect the backstop to be needed - and even if it were ever to come into effect, it would be strictly temporary.

Attorney General

Police: Crimes of Violence

Layla Moran: To ask the Attorney General, how many police officers have been charged with (a) grievous bodily harm or (b) actual bodily harm by the Crown Prosecution Service and then acquitted after a trial in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Robert Buckland: The offences of grievous and actual bodily harm are created by the Offences against the Person Act 1861. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not maintain a central record of defendants charged with, or prosecuted for these offences. This information could only be obtained by examining CPS case files, which would incur disproportionate cost. While the CPS does not hold a central record of defendants prosecuted by specific offences, records are held reporting the number of defendants, identified as being persons serving with the police, who are assigned the Principal Offence Category ‘Offences against the Person’ at finalisation. Persons serving with the police are defined as, and include, police staff, community support officers and contracted escort and detention officers in addition to serving police officers. These figures are identified by way of a monitoring flag, administered by a member of staff highlighting it as a “Police complaint” case. The table below shows the number of prosecuted defendants, flagged as being persons serving with the police and whose Principal Offence Category was identified as ‘Offences against the Person’, in each of the last five years.  2013-20142014-20152015-20162016-20172017-2018Total Defendants Prosecuted43451219492Total Trials 1618312139Convicted after Trial 91013818Acquitted after Trial 78181321% Acquitted 44%44%58%62%54%

Wales Office

Wales Office: Billing

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to the Answer of 27 November 2018 to Question 194068 on Wales Office: Billing, what the reasons were for the undisputed and valid invoices that were not paid within 10 days of receipt in the last 12 months.

Nigel Adams: The Office of the Secretary of State for Wales aims to pay all invoices within 10 days of receipt, and currently achieves this target in 90% of cases. The target is not met in a small number of cases for a variety of reasons, including invoices with incorrect or incomplete information and delays in the processing of payments by our service provider.

Ministry of Justice

Styal Prison: Females

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many women were sent to prison at HMP Styal from courts in North Wales for (a) less than and (b) more than six months between (i) January and December 2017 and (ii) each of the previous four years.

Edward Argar: There is persuasive evidence that short custodial sentences do not work in terms of rehabilitation and that community sentences, in certain circumstances, are more effective in reducing reoffending, and therefore keeping the public safe. We will therefore be looking at what more we can do to emphasise that short custodial sentences should be viewed as a last resort. In June we published our female offender strategy which makes clear that we want fewer women serving short sentences in custody and more remaining in the community, making use of women’s centres to address needs such as substance misuse and mental health problems. Table 1 shows the number of women admitted into HMP Styal following sentencing at a North Wales court, by sentence length; 2013 to 2017



Table
(Excel SpreadSheet, 12.74 KB)

Begging and Vagrancy: Prosecutions

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people were prosecuted under section 1 of the Vagrancy Act 1898 between 1970 and 2018.

Rory Stewart: It is not possible to identify from centrally held data the number of defendants prosecuted under section 1 of the Vagrancy Act 1898, as there is no data available under this specific Act. The Act was repealed by the Sexual Offences Act 2003.

Mental Health: Tribunals

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans he has to reform mental health tribunals; and what steps he is taking implement those plans.

Lucy Frazer: We are waiting to see the report of Sir Simon Wessely’s Independent Review of the Mental Health Act before we consider any reforms to the Mental Health Tribunal. We expect the report to be published shortly.

Dangerous Dogs Act 1991: Convictions

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people served a sentence of imprisonment for convictions under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 in each of the last three years.

Rory Stewart: The number of offenders sentenced to immediate custody for offences under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, in England and Wales from 2015 to 2017 (the latest currently available data), can be obtained from the ‘Experimental Statistics: Principal Offence proceedings and outcomes by Home Office offence code data tool’ in the annual criminal justice statistics publication, linked below. Select the below offence codes from the ‘offence code’ drop down box: 821 Owner or person in charge allowing dog to be dangerously out of control in a public place injuring any person822 Owner or person in charge allowing dog to enter a non-public place and injure any person11112 Breeding or breeding from a fighting dog11113 Selling, exchanging, offering, advertising or exposing for sale a fighting dog11114 Giving or offering to give a fighting dog or dangerous dog11115 Allowing a fighting dog to be in a public place without a muzzle or a lead11116 Abandoning, or allowing to stray, a fighting dog11117 Possess or have custody of a fighting dog11118 Owner or person in charge allowing dog to be dangerously out of control in a public place, without injury being caused11119 Owner or person in charge allowing dog to enter a non- public place causing reasonable apprehension of injury to a person11125 Owner / person in charge of a dog dangerously out of control - no injury https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-december-2017

Prosecutions

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) successful and (b) unsuccessful prosecutions were made under section 121 of the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 in each year since its commencement.

Lucy Frazer: Figures on the number of defendants prosecuted at magistrates’ courts and the outcomes of those prosecutions at all courts under section 121 of the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 can be found in the ‘Outcomes by Offence data tool’https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/733981/outcomes-by-offence-tool-2017-update.xlsxSearch ‘Offence’ for ‘36.1 Forced marriage’ from the offence drop down list.It is important to remember that these figures are on a principle offence basis. When a defendant has been prosecuted for two or more offences, the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty would be imposed.

Sexual Offences: Convictions

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the conviction rates were for (a) sexual offences and (b) rape in the 12 months to June (i) 2018 and (ii) in each of the last 10 years.

Lucy Frazer: The conviction ratio for sex offences for year ending June 2008 to 2018 can be found in published table Q3.3 in the Overview Tables found here:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/756067/overview-tables-june-2018.odsThe latest published number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates’ courts and found guilty at all courts for rape offences from 2007 to 2017 relate to the year ending December 2017 and can be found in the Outcomes by offence data tool in the annual Criminal Justice Statistics publication, found here:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/733981/outcomes-by-offence-tool-2017-update.xlsxSearch for ‘rape’ in the ‘Offence’ drop down box and select the following offences:19C Rape of a female aged 16 or over19D Rape of a female aged under 1619E Rape of a female child under 13 by a male19F Rape of a male aged under 1619G Rape of a male aged 16 or over19H Rape of a male child under 13 by a maleTo calculate the conviction ratio, divide the number of convictions by the number of prosecutions for each year. Final court proceedings data for 2018 are planned for publication in May 2019

Prisoners: Employment

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent estimate he has made of the proportion of offenders who are in paid work at the time of being sent to prison.

Rory Stewart: We collect data on the pre-imprisonment status employment status of individuals within 72 hours of them entering custody using the Basic Custody Screening Tool (BCS). For the period 1 April 2017 to 31 March 2018, these figures are set out in the table below: BCS Q B4.12: Were you working before you came to custody?Count of AssessmentsPercentageEmployed2217721.77%Unemployed6158660.44%Unavailable for work1079710.60%Retired11681.15%Self-employed61616.05%Count:101889100.00% It should be noted that these figures are compiled from information the prisoners have provided the assessor to enter into the BCS, and include not only prisoners sentenced in respect of a criminal offence, but also those received into custody on remand. Given the information is provided by the prisoners themselves and is not assessed, there will always be a margin of error in the figures. A proportion of prisoners will enter custody multiple times each year and may provide different answers to these questions over time. Reoffending is costing society approximately £15 billion a year. Effective rehabilitation needs prisoners to be willing to commit to change, take advice, learn new skills and take opportunities to work. For those individuals willing to engage, the prison system must deliver. That is why we launched the Education and Employment strategy to create a system where each prisoner is set on a path to employment from the outset. We are empowering governors to commission education provision that leads to work, we are engaging with employers to take on ex-prisoners via the New Futures Network (NFN) and have consulted on proposals to increase the opportunities available to prisoners to gain experience in real workplaces through ROTL.

Prisons: Contracts

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the oral evidence of the Executive Director, Prison Estate Transformation Programme, HM Prison and Probation Service of 13 November 2018 to the Justice Select Committee inquiry on Prison Population 2022: planning for the future, Question 495, HC 483, whether it is his Department's policy that running in-house bids for the operation of new-build prisons is divisive.

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the oral evidence of Simon Boddis, Executive Director, Prison Estate Transformation Programme, HM Prison and Probation Service to the Justice Committee on Prison Population 2022, planning for the future on 13 November 2018, Question 495, HC 340, what assessment his Department has made of the accuracy of the statement that running in-house bids for the operation of new-build prisons is a waste of money.

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the oral evidence of Simon Boddis, Executive Director, Prison Estate Transformation Programme, HM Prison and Probation Service to the Justice Committee on Prison Population 2022, planning for the future on 13 November 2018, Question 495, HC 340, what estimate he has made of the cost of running in-house bids for the operation of new-build prisons.

Rory Stewart: The Ministry of Justice has recently launched a competition to establish a framework of prison operators, from which the operators of the new prisons at Wellingborough and Glen Parva will be selected. Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service will not be bidding in the competition. There will instead be a ‘public sector benchmark’, against which potential operators’ bids can be assessed. Where bids do not meet sufficient quality or value for money thresholds the public sector will act as the provider.We have taken this approach as, rightly, our current focus is on getting the basics right by addressing the significant challenges we face in improving safety and decency in our prisons. We have learned from past experience that establishing an internal bid team was an unnecessarily complex way to manage a competition.This approach will enable us to undertake rigorous financial and operational assessment of bids put forward by any existing or potential operator to ensure they are of sufficient quality, value and affordability compared to a public sector comparator.The Government is committed to a diverse market of prison operators and competition for custodial services remains an important way of achieving that and driving quality of operations and innovation across the system.

Prisons: South Yorkshire

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the 23 November 2018 Government news release on new search teams to disrupt and deter violence in prisons, whether those teams will be placed in prisons in South Yorkshire.

Rory Stewart: A dedicated search team (DST) will be in place to cover Yorkshire and Humberside. These measures, together with our unrelenting focus on rehabilitation, will help to ensure prisons are places where offenders can turn their backs on crime, and ultimately prevent future victims.

Wales Office: Procurement

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 27 November 2018 to Question 194070 on Wales Office: Procurement, what proportion of procurement contracts his Department awarded to SMEs in each of the last three years.

Rory Stewart: The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) does not record the percentage of contracts awarded each financial year with Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) companies. However, the MoJ does have a commitment that a percentage of its spend each year will be with SME’s. The below table provides the spend with SME’s for 2015/2016 and 2016/2017 against the MoJ’s target percentage.YearTotal Procurement Spend (£m)Direct Spend with SMEs (£m)Direct Spend with SMEs as %Indirect Spend with SMEs (£m)Indirect Spend with SMEs as %Total SME Spend as %Central Government Target Percentage15/16£4,362£1,38629.9%£1964.2%34.2%25%16/17£4,305£1,25729.2%£3177.4%36.6%33%The figures for the MoJ spend with SME’s for 2017/2018 are currently going through the governance and approval process ahead of being published and therefore cannot be released yet. The MoJ target percentage for spend with SMEs will be set out in the MoJ Action Plan due to be published shortly. Since January 2011, details of central government contracts above the value of £10,000 are published on Contracts Finder. Contracts published prior to 26 February 2015 can be viewed at: https://data.gov.uk/data/contracts-finder-archive Those published after 26 February 2015 can be viewed at: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search”

Social Security Benefits: Stockport

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many appeals were heard at tribunal for (a) personal independence payments and (b) employment and support allowance in the Stockport constituency in each of the last three years.

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the average waiting times for appeals at tribunal for (a) personal independence payments and (b) employment and support allowance in the Stockport constituency in each of the last three years. .

Lucy Frazer: Information about the volumes and waiting times for appeals, including (a) Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and (b) Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), to the First-tier Tribunal (Social Security and Child Support) (SSCS) is published at: www.gov.uk/government/collections/tribunals-statistics.HM Courts & Tribunals Service does not record data based on constituencies. SSCS appeals are listed into the hearing venue nearest to the appellant’s home address. The published data (which can be viewed at the link above) provide information about the volumes and waiting times for PIP and ESA appeals for individual hearing venues including the Stockport venue where appeals from constituents living in the Stockport area would be heard.Waiting times are calculated from receipt of the appeal to its final disposal. An appeal is not necessarily disposed of at its first hearing. The final disposal decision on the appeal may be reached after an earlier hearing had been adjourned (which may be directed by the judge for a variety of reasons, such as to seek further evidence), or after an earlier hearing date had been postponed (again, for a variety of reasons, often at the request of the appellant). An appeal may also have been decided at an earlier date by the First-tier Tribunal, only for the case to have gone on to the Upper Tribunal, to be returned once again to the First-tier for its final disposal.Latest figures (to June 2018) indicate that since PIP was introduced, 3.5 million decisions have been made, and of these 9% have been appealed and 4% have been overturned at Tribunals. For ESA, 3.5m ESA (post Work Capability Assessment) decisions have been made between April 2014 and March 2018 and of these 8% have been appealed and 4% have been overturned at tribunals.

Ministry of Justice: Public Expenditure

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the real terms change was in his Departmental Resource Budget, excluding income received in each year since 2010; and what estimate he has made of the real terms change in that budget in each year until 2022.

Edward Argar: The Ministry of Justice has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Probate Service: Nottingham

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effect of the closure of the Probate Service in Nottingham on access to probate services for the bereaved; and if he will make a statement.

Lucy Frazer: The probate sub registry at Nottingham has not closed and continues to offer a probate service. Access to Probate in Nottingham is directed via other locations and appointments are available for members of the public if required. Probate is currently undergoing significant reform, with services being placed online to make them more accessible for customers. Where customers need extra support to access these services that will be provided in a variety of ways, including face to face support where necessary. Probate Customers can now make personal applications via a statement of truth which removes the need for them to attend a probate office.

Probate: Fees and Charges

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the impact of the increase in probate charges from April 2019 on the (a) personal finances of the bereaved and (b) potential changes in the level of use of probate services; and if he will make a statement.

Lucy Frazer: Holding answer received on 03 December 2018



The cost of the fee and reasonable expenses incurred by the executor are recoverable from the estate. Published HMRC data suggests that on average 25% of an estate’s assets are cash which suggests that these fees are affordable[1]. In exceptional cases where an executor cannot afford to pay the fee, there are safeguards in place, including the Lord Chancellor’s power to remit a fee. As stated in our published Impact Assessment, it is unlikely that demand will change in response to the planned fee changes.[1] Inheritance Tax Statistics, available here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/inheritance-tax-statistics-table-124-assets-in-estates-by-range-of-net-estate-and-tax-due

Dangerous Driving: Sentencing

Judith Cummins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Life sentences for killer drivers, published on 15 October 2017, what the timescale is for bringing forward legislation on introducing life sentences for causing death by dangerous or careless driving.

Rory Stewart: I refer the honourable member to Edward Argar’s response of 23 November to Question 193551.

Repossession Orders

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the (a) median and (b) mean times were for landlords to progress from a claim to possession of a property by a county court bailiff under the accelerated process for the most recent period for which figures are available (i) across England and (ii) by each court circuit.

Lucy Frazer: The average time taken from issue to repossession (in weeks) in accelerated possession cases in the county court is provided in the table below.  LondonMidlandsNorth EastNorth WestSouth EastSouth WestEngland MeanMedMeanMedMeanMedMeanMedMeanMedMeanMedMeanMed201322.917.919.015.417.213.019.614.316.213.015.011.920.716.1201424.518.019.616.716.312.920.014.016.513.116.612.121.816.3201527.217.917.814.717.813.017.814.017.413.115.211.923.216.0201629.619.318.015.315.512.618.813.916.013.116.312.124.016.4201730.820.119.916.416.513.119.114.017.514.115.412.124.417.0

Ministry of Justice: Integrity Initiative

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department has (a) funded, (b) awarded contracts to and (c) procured the services of the Integrity Initiative in each financial year since 2015-16.

Rory Stewart: The Ministry of Justice has provided no funding, contracts or procured services from the Integrity Initiative.

Judgements

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effect on the UK's participation in the (a) Brussels and (b) Lugano Conventions on jurisdiction and the enforcement of judgments in civil and commercial matters of the UK leaving the EU.

Lucy Frazer: The UK and EU negotiation teams have agreed the terms of an implementation period running from 29 March 2019 until 31 December 2020, which will mean that the UK will continue to participate in the Brussels Ia Regulation and the 2007 Lugano Convention until the end of the period. The UK also remains committed to future civil judicial cooperation with the EU, recognising that it is in both our interests, as well as continued cooperation with our international partners. Of course, it is only right for a responsible government to prepare for a ‘no deal’ scenario. and in September of this year we published a Technical Notice dedicated to civil judicial cooperation, detailing how the existing rules will change in a ‘no deal’ scenario.

Fireworks: Crime

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what information his Department holds on the number of (a) prosecutions for firework offences and (b) firework-related attacks on emergency workers in the last five years.

Lucy Frazer: The Ministry of Justice has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Civil Proceedings: Warrington

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effect on (a) access to justice and (b) waiting times for hearings of the removal of civil matters from Warrington courts.

Lucy Frazer: HM Courts & Tribunals Service keeps the performance of courts and tribunals under constant review. We are committed to making sure that our court and tribunal services can be accessed by those that need to do so. Our assessment is that effective access to justice has been maintained following the relocation of civil hearings from Warrington to St Helens. The removal of civil matters from Warrington has not had an impact on waiting times for hearings for people in the local area.

Charter of Fundamental Rights (EU)

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to paragraph 83 of the Political Declaration setting out the framework for the future relationship between the European Union and the United Kingdom, under which circumstances the Court of Justice of the European Union can make a judgement involving the interpretation of the EU Charter on Fundamental Rights which could affect the UK after 29 March 2019.

Lucy Frazer: The Ministry of Justice has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Cabinet Office

Industrial Injuries Scheme: Civil Service

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many claimants who were overcompensated through the Civil Service Injury Benefit Scheme have had to repay monies upon reaching retirement age in each year for which information is available.

Carolyn Harris: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the total amount is that claimants who were overcompensated in injury benefit from the Civil Service Injury Benefit Scheme have had to repay in each year for which information is available.

Oliver Dowden: Annual allowances payable under the Civil Service Injury Benefit Scheme are reviewed each year and reduced where appropriate to take account of retirement pensions that become payable wholly or partly out of public funds. The information about claimants who have been overcompensated can only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Perinatal Mortality

Jim Shannon: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many still-births there have been in each of the last five years.

Chloe Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA response 
(PDF Document, 76.94 KB)

Government Departments: Data Protection

Jo Platt: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what factors are taken into consideration when decisions are taken on storing government data by contracted private sector cloud companies.

Oliver Dowden: In order to establish the merits of storing government data with a contracted private sector cloud company, departments should use the Technology Code of Practice principles and follow the government Cloud First policy. Both of these policies provide clear guidelines of the things a department should consider, recognising that there is not one single solution for all departments. It is the responsibility of each government department to take risk-based decisions about their use of cloud providers for the storage of government data up to “OFFICIAL” level. When considering a commercial provider, departments should take into account the cloud security principles developed by the National Cyber Security Centre (https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/guidance/implementing-cloud-security-principles). Finally, the solution must provide the best value for the taxpayer.

Immigration

Jo Stevens: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what data-gathering methodologies his Department uses to count the number of people arriving in the UK from (a) the EU, (b) the EEA and (c) other countries.

Chloe Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA response 
(PDF Document, 66.82 KB)

Lobbying

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the regulations on political lobbying of members of the Government.

Chloe Smith: The Government is confident that the Transparency of Lobbying Act, Non-party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Act 2014 is working well in requiring consultant lobbyists to declare on whose behalf they are lobbying. The Act complements existing transparency mechanisms including the quarterly publication of Ministerial meetings with external organisations and industry-led regulation such as subscription to industry codes of conduct. The Ministerial Code is clear that Ministers must not accept invitations to act as patrons or otherwise offer support to pressure groups and Ministers must ensure that they do not place themselves, or appear to place themselves under an obligation to such groups. The Code also requires Minister to ensure that no conflict arises or could reasonably be perceived to arise between their public duties and their private interest, financial or otherwise.

Interserve

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Crown Commercial Service has plans to issue guidance to public sector bodies on the financial risks associated with contracting with Interserve.

Oliver Dowden: It is the responsibility of contracting authorities to carry out appropriate due diligencechecks on potential suppliers and financial monitoring on existing suppliers when they are contracting out, to ensure that those suppliers are able to deliver the public services for which they are contracted. The Strategic Supplier Risk Management Policy is not of itself relevant to the conduct of procurement activities. If contracting authorities approach Cabinet Office to request advice on their procurements, however, Cabinet Office provides assistance where requested and available.

Interserve

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if his Department will take steps to accelerate the creation of a living will to be delivered by Interserve.

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when Interserve is planned to provide a living will for his Department.

Oliver Dowden: As the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster announced on 19 November, Interserve is one of the suppliers who have volunteered to pilot the use of “living wills”. The companies piloting “living wills” will provide them in the coming weeks.

Interserve

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the conclusion in the letter of the Chairs of the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and Work and Pensions Committees of 4 September 2018, on Carillion, that the current system of monitoring suppliers was not able to identify or prevent the precarious state of Carillion and its decline and collapse, what extraordinary steps his Department is taking to monitor the financial health of Interserve.

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will direct the Crown Commercial Service to undertake a review of the ability of Interserve to deliver services guaranteed under its public sector contracts.

Oliver Dowden: The Government already continually monitors the financial health of its strategic suppliers and has appropriate plans in place in relation to the risk of those companies. These plans are commercially sensitive and confidential. We do not believe that any strategic supplier is in a similar situation to Carillion. This monitoring also enables Government to assess suppliers’ ability to deliver the services which they hold contracts for. The company’s current intentions are a matter for the company itself.

Government Departments: Staff

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department has taken since January 2018 to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of Crown Representatives.

Oliver Dowden: The Crown Representatives fulfil an important role in a wider system of assurance and supplier relationship management and participate in regular sharing of knowledge and best practice. We continually review the Crown Representatives through feedback mechanisms. We have reviewed the portfolio and allocation of Strategic Suppliers, have recently appointed new Crown Representatives and new Strategic Suppliers to the programme and have changed Crown Representative and others to new suppliers where appropriate. The Crown Representatives are part time and are fully supported by a full time Markets and Suppliers team which comprises a number of relationship managers and business analysts.

Interserve

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Crown Commercial Service is taking to ensure that Interserve managers pass on relevant and accurate information to Crown Representatives.

Oliver Dowden: Cabinet Office regularly engages with all Strategic Suppliers to ensure that Government is receiving relevant and accurate information on suppliers’ health and their ability to deliver on their contracts. This work is led through the Strategic Partnering Programme in the Markets and Suppliers team in the Government Commercial Function.

Interserve

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the value is of all public sector (a) contracts and (b) joint contracts held by Interserve.

Oliver Dowden: This information is already publicly available on Contracts Finder.

Carillion

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department has provided training or other instruction to the Crown Representatives intended to ensure learning from the collapse of Carillion.

Oliver Dowden: The Crown Representatives fulfil an important role in a wider system of assurance and supplier relationship management and participate in regular sharing of knowledge and best practice. We continually review the Crown Representatives through feedback mechanisms. We have reviewed the portfolio and allocation of Strategic Suppliers, have recently appointed new Crown Representatives and new Strategic Suppliers to the programme and have changed Crown Representative and others to new suppliers where appropriate.

Interserve

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many meetings the Crown Commercial Service has had with representatives of Interserve to discuss significant material concerns relating to that company.

Oliver Dowden: The Crown Commercial Service holds quarterly meetings with the company as part of a regular governance process for framework suppliers. In addition to regular CCS and departmental (or contract authority) meetings, the Cabinet Office Markets and Suppliers team meets regularly with all the strategic suppliers as part of their supplier relationship management programme.